THE  NOVELS  OF 

G- A*  BIRMINGHAM 


LALAGE         .  >VER,S 
•       ,    3      '  OLD 

.       .  :     ;  R.TY 

;      :.  ;PKINS  PLOT 
THE  MAJOR'S  NIECE 
PRISc          A\S  SPIES 


.  Y, 


SPANISH  GOLD 


UNIFORM  EDITION  of  the  WORKS  of 

G.   A.   BIRMINGHAM 

Each,  net  $1.20 


LALAGE'S  LOVERS 
SPANISH  GOLD 
THE  SEARCH  PARTY 
THE  SIMPKINS  PLOT 
THE  MAJOR'S  NIECE 
PRISCILLA'S  SPIES 


GEORGE   H.    DORAN    COMPANY 
NEW    YORK 


SPANISH  GOLD 


BY 

G.  A.  BIRMINGHAM 

AUTHOR  OF  "  SEARCH  PARTY,"  "  LALAGE'S  LOVERS  " 


HODDER  &  STOUGHTON 

NEW  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


TO 

THEODOSIA  AND  ALTHEA, 

WHO  ASKED  ME  TO  WRITE  A  STORY 

ABOUT  TREASURE  BURIED 

ON  AN  ISLAND 


2065732 


SPANISH  GOLD 


CHAPTER  I 

MOY  BAY  is  full  of  islands,  inhabited  and  unin- 
habited, and  has  many  smaller  bays  leading 
from  its  main  waters  far  inland.  If  it  were  anywhere 
but  in  Connacht  it  would  be  the  haunt  of  yachts- 
men. Being  where  it  is,  a  pleasure  boat  rarely  sails 
on  it.  At  the  south-eastern  corner  of  the  bay  stands 
the  town  of  Ballymoy.  It  is  rich,  like  most  West 
of  Ireland  towns,  in  public-houses  and  ecclesiastical 
buildings.  It  is  rich  in  nothing  else.  Westwards, 
along  the  shore  of  the  bay,  runs  the  road  which 
connects  the  town  with  the  farmhouses  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood and  at  last  with  the  poverty-stricken  villages 
which  are  scattered  over  the  great  bog.  On  this 
road  there  is  a  great  deal  of  traffic.  Country  carts, 
droves  of  cattle,  donkeys  laden  with  panniers  of  turf 
and  Major  Kent's  smart  dogcart  come  into  the  town 
along  it  on  market  days  and  fair  days.  Therefore 
during  nine-tenths  of  the  year  it  is  extremely  muddy. 
When  it  is  not  muddy  the  dust  blows  in  great  clouds 
over  it,  to  the  discomfort  of  wayfarers  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  wet  feet  and  mud-clogged  boots,  but  hate  to 
feel  limestone  grit  between  their  teeth  and  in  their  eyes. 

i 


2  SPANISH  GOLD 

The  Rev.  Joseph  John  Meldon  bicycled  along  this 
road  one  afternoon  near  the  end  of  May.  The  day  was 
very  hot  and  the  little  wind  there  was  blew  against  him 
as  he  rode.  The  dust  had  powdered  his  black  clothes 
till  they  looked  grey,  and  lay  thick  in  the  creases  of  his 
trousers,  which  were  bound  round  his  ankles  by  thin 
steel  clasps.  He  rode  rapidly  and  was  most  uncom- 
fortably hot.  His  hands  were  red  and  moist.  Every 
now  and  then  a  drop  of  sweat  gathered  beside  his  nose, 
trickled  down  and  lodged  among  the  hairs  of  his  thick 
red  moustache.  A  soft  felt  hat,  grey  with  dust  like  his 
clothes,  was  pushed  back  from  his  glistening  forehead. 

There  was  no  reason  why  Mr.  Meldon,  curate  of 
Ballymoy,  should  have  ridden  fast  on  such  a  day. 
He  was  out  upon  no  desperate  enterprise,  rode  no 
race  against  death  or  misfortune,  would  win  no  bet  by 
arriving  anywhere  at  any  specified  time.  His  day's 
work,  not  a  very  arduous  one — for  members  of  the 
Church  of  Ireland  are  few  in  Ballymoy — was  done. 
He  might  have  ridden  slowly  if  he  liked,  might  have 
walked,  need  not  have  travelled  the  road  at  all  unless 
he  chose.  The  afternoon  and  evening  were  before  him, 
and  he  proposed  to  spend  them  with  Major  Kent  at 
Portsmouth  Lodge.  It  made  no  difference  when  he 
arrived  there.  Four  o'clock,  five  o'clock,  six  o'clock, 
any  hour  up  to  seven  o'clock,  when  he  dined,  would  be 
the  same  to  Major  Kent,  who  was  one  of  those  fortunate 
gentlemen  who  have  nothing  particular  to  do  in  life. 
Mr.  Meldon  rode  fast  and  got  hot,  when  he  might  have 
ridden  slowly  and  been  no  more  than  warm,  because  he 
was  a  young  man  of  impetuous  energy  and  liked  going 
as  quickly  as  he  could  on  all  occasions. 

"I  hope,"  he  murmured,  conscious  of  his  heat  while 


SPANISH  GOLD  3 

he  enjoyed  increasing  it,  "that  old  Kent  will  give  me 
a  proper  drink  when  I  arrive.  I  could  do  nicely  this 
minute  with  a  lemon  squash." 

Another  man,  while  dwelling  with  pleasure  on  the 
expectation  of  a  drink,  would  have  also  wished  for  a 
wash  and  the  use  of  a  clothes  brush.  The  ideal  curate, 
the  "  dilettante,  delicate-handed  priest "  of  Tenny- 
son's poems,  the  beloved  of  ladies  in  English  country 
towns,  would  have  wished  first  to  be  clean  and  then 
desired  some  mild  refreshment — tea,  perhaps,  served 
in  an  old  china  cup.  But  Mr.  Meldon  was  no  such 
curate.  Indeed,  those  who  knew  him  well  wondered 
at  his  being  a  curate  at  all.  He  was  more  at  his  ease 
in  a  smoking-room  than  a  drawing-room,  and  pre- 
ferred a  gun  to  a  Sunday-school  roll-book.  He  cared 
very  little  about  his  personal  appearance,  and  con- 
sidered that  he  paid  sufficient  respect  to  the  virtue  of 
cleanliness  if  he  washed  every  morning.  He  was 
physically  strong,  played  most  games  well,  had  been 
distinguished  as  an  athlete  in  college,  smoked  black 
tobacco,  and  was  engaged  to  be  married.  Also  though 
no  one  ever  gave  him  credit  for  being  studious,  he  read 
a  great  many  books. 

"  A  dash  of  whisky,"  he  murmured  again,  "  would 
improve  that  lemon  squash.  To  do  the  Major  justice, 
he's  free  with  his  drinks.  A  fellow  has  to  be  careful 
of  himself  with  that  old  boy." 

A  dogcart  approached  him,  driven  towards  Bally- 
moy.  The  driver  was  a  stout,  fair  man.  Beside  him, 
wrapped  in  a  shabby,  fur-lined  coat,  sat  a  thin,  sallow 
youth. 

"  Hullo,  Doyle,"  shouted  Meldon,  "  what  brings  you 
out  here  ?  " 


4  SPANISH  GOLD 

He  dismounted  from  his  bicycle  and  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  road.  He  recognized  that  the  sallow 
youth  in  the  fur  coat  was  a  stranger  in  Ballymoy. 
Meldon  wanted  to  find  out  something  about  him — 
all  about  him  if  possible.  Ballymoy  is  situated  in  a 
district  not  frequented  by  tourists.  Therefore  strangers 
are  rare  and  objects  of  great  curiosity  to  the  regular 
inhabitants.  There  are,  broadly  speaking,  just  two 
classes  of  strangers  to  be  met  in  West  of  Ireland  towns 
which  lie  off  the  tourist  track.  There  are  gentlemen 
connected  with  the  Government,  the  engineers,  sur- 
veyors, and  inspectors  of  our  various  benevolent 
boards;  Members  of  Parliament  on  tour,  and  jour- 
nalists despatched  by  editors  to  report  on  the  state  of 
Ireland,  who  are  regarded  by  the  people  of  Bally- 
moy as  more  or  less  connected  with  the  Govern- 
ment, a  sort  of  camp  followers.  This  class  of  strangers 
is  only  moderately  interesting.  In  Connacht  we 
are  getting  quite  familiar  with  the  Government, 
and  familiarity  breeds,  if  not  actual  contempt, 
at  all  events  a  lack  of  curiosity.  The  second 
class  consists  of  men  who  have  come  to  grief 
somewhere  else,  through  wine,  women,  or  one  of 
the  other  usual  causes  of  disgrace,  and  are  seeking 
seclusion  till  the  memory  of  their  misdeeds  has  faded 
from  the  minds  of  relatives  and  friends.  Respectable 
relatives  and  friends,  English  for  the  most  part,  have 
apparently  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  pastures  of 
the  West  of  Ireland  are  peculiarly  suitable  to  black 
sheep.  This  class  is  smaller  than  the  other,  but  much 
more  interesting.  The  stories  of  the  exile's  misdeeds, 
when  we  get  to  know  them,  as  we  always  do  in  the  end, 
are  frequently  most  diverting. 


SPANISH  GOLD  5 

Meldon  leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  Mr.  Doyle's 
companion  belonged  to  the  class  of  scandalous  livers. 
He  had  not  the  look  of  benevolent  intelligence  which 
is  always  to  be  found  on  the  faces  of  men  connected 
with  the  Government,  and  he  wore  a  fur  coat,  whereas 
officials,  Members  of  Parliament,  and  journalists 
always  wear  brown  tweed  suits  and  disdain  luxurious 
overcoats  when  they  wander  in  wild  places.  Besides, 
Mr.  Doyle,  the  owner  of  the  principal  inn  in 
Ballymoy,  was  likely  to  have  a  stranger  of  the  second 
class  under  his  care,  while  any  one  connected  with  the 
Government  would  prefer  to  go  round  the  country  with 
a  priest  or  a  policeman.  Meldon  wondered  whether  it 
was  love,  or  debt,  or  whisky,  which  had  brought  this 
prodigal  to  Ballymoy. 

Mr.  Doyle  pulled  up  his  horse  and  greeted  the 
curate. 

"  Good-evening  to  you,  Mr.  Meldon.  A  warm  even- 
ing for  the  end  of  May.  I'd  rather  be  driving,  than 
riding  that  machine  of  yours  to-day.  On  your  way  to 
see  the  Major,  eh?  You'll  find  him  at  home.  We've 
just  been  out  at  his  place." 

"  Oh,  have  you  ?  Wanting  to  buy  the  chestnut  filly  ? 
Take  my  advice  and  don't  do  it.  She  wouldn't  suit 
your  work  at  all.  She's  cut  out  for  a  polo  pony,  that 
one.  You're  too  fat  to  start  polo,  Doyle.  It  wouldn't 
agree  with  you  at  your  time  of  life.  You  may  take  my 
word  for  that." 

Doyle  grinned. 

"  It  wasn't  the  filly  I  was  after.  The  fact  is  that  this 
gentleman,  Mr.  Langley " 

"  Langton,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  That  this  gentleman,"  said  Doyle,  avoiding  a  second 


6  SPANISH  GOLD. 

attempt  at  the  name,  "wants  to  hire  a  yacht,  and  I 
thought  the  Major  might  let  him  have  the  Spindrift. 
She's  the  best  boat  about  these  parts,  though  there's 
others,  of  course — plenty  of  others." 

"  I  have  one  myself,"  said  Meldon. 

"  You  have,"  said  Doyle,  "  and  I  was  intending  to  take 
the  gentleman  round  to  your  place  this  evening.  Your 
boat  would  just  suit  him." 

"  What  sort  of  a  boat  does  he  want  ?  "  said  Meldon. ' 

"  I'm  looking  out  for  a  small  yacht,"  said  Langton, 
"  anything  from  ten  tons  down  to  five  would  do.  I 
and  a  friend  intend  to  take  a  little  cruise  together,  and 
we  want  something  that  we  can  work  without  profes- 
sional assistance." 

"  The  Major  didn't  see  his  way  to  hiring  his,"  said 
Doyle. 

Meldon  eyed  the  stranger  and  thought  that  the 
Major  was  quite  right  in  refusing  to  trust  the  smart, 
well  found  Spindrift  to  Mr.  Langton.  The  man 
didn't  look  as  if  he  ought  to  go  to  sea  without 
professional  assistance.  He  looked  like  a  man  who 
might  make  a  wreck  of  a  boat  through  incapacity  to 
manage  her.  Meldon's  own  boat  was  neither  smart  nor 
well  found.  He  had  got  her  cheap  because  her  hull 
was  rotten  and  most  of  her  rigging  untrustworthy. 
It  was  one  thing  to  hire  the  trim  Spindrift  to  a  chance 
stranger,  who  might  knock  the  bottom  out  of  her  or 
ruin  her  sails;  it  was  quite  a  different  thing  to 
bargain  for  the  use  of  his  own  Aureole,  which  no 
amount  of  battering  could  make  much  worse  than  she 
was.  Like  every  one  else  in  the  West  of  Ireland,  cleric 
or  layman,  Meldon  had  a  keen  taste  for  making  money 
out  of  a  stranger.  He  looked  at  Langton  and  hoped 


SPANISH  GOLD  7 

that  it  was  love  or  whisky,  not  debt,  which  had  driven 
him  to  Bally moy. 

"  There's  more  boats  in  the  country  than  the  Major's," 
he  said. 

"That's  what  I'm  just  after  telling  the  gentleman," 
said  Doyle,  "  there's  yours." 

"  I'm  wanting  her  for  my  own  use." 

"  She's  a  good  boat,"  said  Doyle. 

"  I  must  be  getting  along,"  said  Meldon.  "  Good- 
evening  to  you,  Doyle.  Good-evening,  Mr.  Langton." 

"  You  wouldn't  be  wanting  to  hire  her  ?  "  said  Doyle, 
unimpressed  by  the  curate's  farewell.  "It's  not  often 
you  take  her  out." 

"How  long  would  your  friend  require  her  for?" 

"  One  month,"  said  Langton.  "  My  friend  and  I  wan? 
to  have  a  cruise  on  your  charming  coast,  to  take  a 
pleasure  trip.  To  find  repose  from  the  tumult  of  the 
world  on  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic." 

Doyle  winked  at  the  curate.  Meldon,  reflecting  that 
a  man  who  talked  in  such  a  way  in  broad  daylight  must 
be  a  fool  about  money,  determined  to  hire  the  Aureole 
to  the  stranger. 

"  I  can't  wait  now,"  he  said,  "  but  I'll  call  round  at 
your  place  to-night,  Doyle.  Don't  go  to  bed  till  I  come. 
We'll  talk  the  matter  over." 

He  mounted  his  bicycle  and  rode  on  towards  Ports- 
mouth Lodge. 

Kent  is  an  English  name.  The  traveller  meets  it  in 
Connacht  with  surprise;  perhaps,  if  he  is  an  amateur 
of  local  colour,  with  disgust.  An  inhabitant  of  Mayo 
or  Galway  ought  to  have  a  name  beginning  with  O',  a 
name  with  several  apparently  unnecessary  letters  in  it. 
He  has  no  business  to  sign  himself  John  Kent.  Still 


8  SPANISH  GOLD 

less  has  a  house  in  the  West  of  Ireland  any  right  to 
a  name  like  Portsmouth  Lodge.  It  raises  thoughts  of 
merry  England,  of  the  concreted  parade  of  some  naval 
town.  It  is  incongruous.  It  meets  the  sentimental 
traveller,  who  expects  the  Celtic  glamour,  Tir-na-noge, 
and  fairy  lore,  like  a  slap  in  the  face.  Yet  it  never 
occurred  to  the  Major  to  alter  one  name  or  the  other. 
He  was  born  too  early  to  come  under  the  spell  of  the 
Gaelic  revival,  and  never  felt  the  slightest  inclination 
to  write  himself  Seaghan  Ceannt,  or  to  translate  his 
address  into  Beal  an  Chuain.  He  had  inherited  both 
names  from  his  grandfather,  an  English  sailor,  the  first 
of  his  family  to  settle  in  Ireland. 

The  Major  himself  had  served  for  many  consecutive 
years  in  a  line  regiment.  The  drill,  to  which  he  took 
naturally,  being  the  kind  of  man  who  enjoys  drill,  had 
straightened  his  back,  and  it  continued  to  be  straight 
long  after  his  retirement  from  military  life.  The  feel- 
ing in  favour  of  smartness  of  attire  which  prevails 
among  men  holding  His  Majesty's  commission  re- 
mained with  Major  Kent  and  distinguished  him 
among  the  small  landholders  and  professional  men 
of  the  Ballymoy  district.  They  preferred  comfort  to 
neatness.  Major  Kent,  at  great  sacrifice  of  leisure, 
creased  his  trousers  and  dressed  for  dinner  every 
night.  He  had  a  taste  for  discipline  which  he  carried 
into  the  management  of  his  small  estate  and  into  the 
business  of  the  petty  sessions  court.  He  annoyed 
both  his  tenants  and  his  neighbours  by  his  fads,  but 
was  a  popular  man  because  of  the  real  goodness  of 
his  heart.  He  was  an  excellent  shot,  a  good  amateur 
yachtsman,  a  regular  subscriber  to  the  funds  of  the 
church,  and  a  bachelor.  He  had  formed  a  friendship 


SPANISH  GOLD  9 

witH  the  Rev.  Joseph  John  Meldon  in  spite  of  the 
curate's  free-and-easy  manners,  habitual  unpunctuality, 
and  incurable  untidiness.  It  is  said  that  men  are  at- 
tracted to  those  who  differ  from  them,  that  like  does 
not  readily  mate  with  like.  If  this  is  a  law  of  nature, 
the  friendship  between  Major  Kent  and  the  curate 
formed  a  fine  example  of  its  working. 

Meldon  entered  the  dining-room  of  Portsmouth 
Lodge  and  found  the  Major  at  the  writing-table  with 
a  pile  of  papers  and  parchments  beside  him.  Papers 
of  any  kind,  except  the  Times,  which  the  Major  read 
regularly,  were  rare  in  Portsmouth  Lodge.  To  see  his 
friend  occupied  with  what  looked  like  legal  documents 
was  unprecedented  in  Meldon's  experience.  He  stood 
amazed  at  the  sight.  The  Major  looked  up. 

"  Who  the  devil's  disturbing  me  now  ?  Oh,  it's  you, 
J.  J.  I  beg  your  reverence's  pardon  for  swearing,  but 
this  is  the  fourth  time  I've  been  interrupted  this  after- 
noon already.  First  there  was  James  Fintan,  the 
publican  from  Ballyglunin,  wanting  an  occasional 
licence  for  the  day  of  the  races,  the  old  reprobate. 
He'll  poison  half  the  county  with  the  stuff  he  sells  as 
whisky  in  those  tents  of  his.  Then  nothing  would  do 
the  chestnut  filly  but  to  cut  her  near  hind  leg  on  the 
barbed  wire,  and  she  had  to  be  seen  to.  Then  Jemmy 
Doyle  came  over  with  some  stranger  who  wanted  to 
hire  the  Spindrift.  As  if  I'd  lend  my  boat  to  a  man 
I've  never  set  eyes  on  before — a  fellow  in  a  fur  coat, 
who  most  likely  knows  no  more  about  sailing  than  I 
do  about  midwifery.  And  now  it's  you,  J.  J.  But  sit 
down  and  light  your  pipe.  I  suppose  you  want  a  drink. 
There's  whisky  and  a  syphon  of  soda  on  the  side- 
board." 


lo  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  want  a  lemon,"  said  the  curate,  "  and  a  big 
tumbler." 

"  Well,  then,  you'll  have  to  ring  the  bell.  The  house- 
keeper will  get  them  for  you.  When  you've  settled  your- 
self you  may  as  well  give  me  a  hand  with  the  job  I'm 
at." 

"  I'll  go  out  to  the  kitchen  and  get  what  I  want," 
said  Meldon.  "  That'll  be  quicker  and  easier  than  ring- 
ing bells." 

He  secured  his  lemon  and  concocted  for  himself  the 
drink  he  desired.  With  the  tumbler  on  the  floor  be- 
side him,  he  stretched  himself  in  a  deep  chair  and  lit  his 
pipe. 

"  Now,  Major,"  he  said,  "  I'm  ready.  What  can  I 
do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Can  you  read  Latin  and  Greek  ?  "  said  the  Major. 

"  Of  course  I  can.  I'm  a  B.A.  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  and  that  means  that  I've  read  a  heap  of  Latin 
and  Greek  in  my  day.  At  the  same  time,  Major,  I 
warn  you  fairly,  that  if  you  want  me  to  sit  here  trans- 
lating Plato  or  Aristotle  to  you  all  the  evening,  I'm  not 
on.  The  weather's  too  hot." 

"What  are  you  talking  about?"  said  the  Major. 
"  Who  wants  you  to  translate  Plato  ?  When  I  asked 
if  you  could  read  Latin  and  Greek  what  I  meant  was, 
can  you  read  lawyer's  English  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  meant  that,  did  you  ?  Well,  I  can  read 
lawyer's  English  or  any  other  kind  of  English  for  that 
matter.  I  tell  you,  Major,  a  man  who  has  been 
through  the  Divinity  School  of  T.C.D.  and  read 
Pearson  on  the  Creed  isn't  likely  to  be  beaten  by 
anything  a  lawyer  could  write.  What's  your  diffi- 
culty?" 


SPANISH  GOLD  ir 

"  Old  Sir  Giles  Buckley's  dead,"  said  the  Major. 

"  I  know  that.  The  rector's  in  a  fine  fizz  over  losing 
his  subscription  to  the  church.  The  old  boy  hasn't  been 
near  the  place  this  twenty  years,  but  he  paid  up  like 
a  man.  Now  the  property  has  gone  to  a  nephew,  who 
means  to  sell  it,  I  hear,  as  soon  as  he  can,  and  who 
doesn't  care  a  rap  about  the  church.  By  the  way,  isn't 
there  a  son  somewhere  ?  " 

"  There  is.  A  bad  lot — and  always  was  a  bad  lot. 
Cards,  women,  horses,  and  the  devil.  The  Lord  alone 
knows  where  he  is  now.  He  got  the  baronetcy,  of 
course,  and  the  house  and  demesne,  which  were  en- 
tailed. But  that's  all.  Old  Sir  Giles  didn't  leave  him 
a  penny  nor  an  acre  more  than  he  could  help.  But 
that's  no  affair  of  mine.  The  point  for  me  is  this. 
My  grandfather  got  the  land  I  hold  now  from  old  Sir 
Giles's  father.  He  got  it  for  services  rendered  in  '98, 
when  the  French  landed  at  Killala.  He  was  a  sailor,  a 
naval  man " 

"  I  know,"  said  Meldon.  " '  Hearts  of  oak  are  our 
ships,  hearts  of  oak  are  our  men,'  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing." 

"  The  Sir  Giles  of  that  day  got  into  a  panic  when 
the  French  landed.  It  appears  that  he  wasn't  par- 
ticularly popular  in  the  county,  and  he  didn't  feel  quite 
sure  what  the  people  might  do  to  him." 

"  They  might  have  done  several  things.  They  might, 
for  instance,  have  hanged  him." 

"  So  he  seemed  to  think.  Well,  my  grandfather  took 
him  off  in  his  sloop,  which  happened  to  be  lying  in 
the  bay  at  the  time,  and  kept  him  safe  till  the  busi- 
ness was  over.  In  return  he  got  the  land  out  of  old 
Buckley,  and  here  we  are,  father  and  son,  three 


12  SPANISH  GOLD 

generations  of  us,  ever  since,  the  Kents  of  Ports- 
mouth Lodge.  Now  that  this  new  man  is  going  to  sell 
the  estate,  the  question  conies  up  what  kind  of  title 
have  I?" 

"That'll  be  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "Don't  you 
worry  about  the  matter.  I'll  see  you  through.  Just 
you  hand  me  over  those  papers.  You  trot  off  and  do 
anything  you  think  you  have  to  do  before  dinner.  I'll 
get  the  meaning  out  of  the  papers  for  you  and  have  a 
clear  statement  of  the  case  ready  when  you  get  back. 
Give  me  the  whole  bundle.  There's  a  little  brown  book 
left  on  your  desk.  Hand  it  over  with  the  rest." 

"  It's  of  no  importance." 

"  Is  it  private  ?  No  ?  Then  pass  it  over.  What  you 
think  of  no  importance  is  just  as  likely  as  not  to  be 
the  vital  document.  It's  always  the  papers  that  seem 
unimportant  to  the  mere  amateur  which  turn  out  to  con- 
tain the  clue  in  these  cases  of  disputed  inheritance,  and 
so  forth.  You  don't  read  many  novels,  I  know,  Major, 
but  you  must  have  noticed  that  fact." 

"But  this -little  book  is  nothing  but  an  old  diary  of 
my  grandfather's." 

"Quite  so,"  said  Meldon.  "That's  just  the  sort  of 
thing  I  want  to  get  at.  Now  do  you  be  off  and  leave 
me  in  peace." 

"  I'll  go  down  and  have  a  look  at  the  Spindrift,"  said 
the  Major.  "  I'm  having  her  overhauled  and  fitted  out 
for  a  cruise.  What  do  you  say,  J.  J.  ?  Will  you  come 
with  me  for  a  week?  We  might  go  off  to  Inishgowlan 
and  shoot  seals." 

"  Are  there  seals  on  Inishgowlan  ?  " 

"  There  are,  I  believe.  When  do  you  get  your  holi- 
day?" 


SPANISH  GOLD  13 

"  June,"  said  Meldon.  "  The  rector's  taking  July  and 
a  bit  of  August.  I  don't  care  to  put  off  till  Septem- 
ber. But  I  can't  go  with  you.  I'm  booked.  I  prom- 
ised to  spend  a  week  with  my  old  governor  and 
the  rest  of  the  time  with  my  little  girl  in  Rath- 
mines." 

"  Bother  your  little  girl." 

"  You  wouldn't  say  that  if  you  saw  her.  She's  a  re- 
markably nice  little  girl,  nicer  than  any  you've  ever  seen. 

I  have  her  photo  here "  He  put  his  hand  into  his 

breast  pocket. 

"  Thanks,"  said  the  Major.  "  You've  shown  me  her 
photo  before." 

"  This  is  a  different  photo.  It's  a  new  one,  done  by 
a  first-rate  man.  Look  here." 

"  Keep  it  till  after  dinner.  I  must  be  off  to  take  a 
look  at  the  Spindrift." 

"  Very  well  then,  go.  But  you  may  whistle  for  the 
photo  after  dinner.  I  won't  show  it  to  you.  No  man 
shall  say  I  rammed  my  little  girl  down  his  throat.  You 
may  be  a  callous  old  mysogynist,  Major " 

"  A  what  ?  I  wish  you  wouldn't  use  that  sort  of 
language  out  of  the  pulpit,  J.  J." 

"  A  mysogynist.  It  means  a  sort  of  curmudgeon  who 
doesn't  care  to  look  at  the  photo  of  a  pretty  girl  when 
he  gets  the  chance." 

"  A  mysogynist  shows  some  sense  then,"  chuckled  the 
Major. 

"  You  may  think  so ;  but  I  can  tell  you  a  mysogynist 
is  the  exact  opposite  kind  of  man  to  what  Solomon  was, 
and  he  is  generally  given  credit  for  not  being  quite  a 
fool." 


CHAPTER  II 

MAJOR  KENT  returned  at  half-past  six  o'clock, 
well  satisfied  with  the  condition  of  the  Spindrift. 
He  found  Meldon  absorbed  in  the  little  brown  book, 
the  diary  of  the  Kent  who  was  a  sea  captain  and  flour- 
ished in  1798. 

"  Have  you  worked  through  the  papers  ?  "  asked  the 
Major. 

"  Haven't  looked  at  one  of  them,"  said  Meldon,  "  and 
don't  mean  to.  I've  got  something  here  worth  Ports- 
mouth Lodge  and  your  whole  footy  little  property  along 
with  it." 

"  I  don't  believe  you." 

"  Very  well,  then,  don't.  Be  an  incredulous  Jew,  if 
you  like.  But  I  can  tell  you  you'll  open  your  eyes  when 
you  hear  what  I've  found." 

"Hurry  up,  then,  and  tell  me.  It's  time  for  me  to 
go  and  dress  for  dinner." 

"  Go  on.  Get  into  your  starched  shirt  and  your  silk- 
lined  coat.  After  dinner  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  a  wash  yourself,  J.  J.  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  curate,  "  I'm  a  busy  man.  I  can't 
spend  hours  and  hours  every  day  washing  and  dress- 
ing myself.  I've  something  else  to  do.  At  present  I 
have  to  run  through  this  log  of  your  grandfather's  again 
and  copy  out  a  few  of  the  most  important  bits." 

14 


SPANISH  GOLD  15 

Major  Kent  dressed  quietly.  He  dined  with  a  good 
appetite  and  without  hurry.  Meldon  seemed  excited 
and  eager  to  get  dinner  over.  Contrary  to  his  usual 
custom,  he  ate  very  little.  He  kept  the  old  diary  beside 
his  plate,  and  every  now  and  then  stroked  it  affection- 
ately. 

At  last  the  meal  came  to  an  end.  The  servant,  after 
leaving  coffee  on  the  table,  finally  withdrew.  Major 
Kent  lit  a  pipe  and  lay  back  in  a  comfortable  chair,  Mel- 
don stood  with  his  back  against  the  chimneypiece. 

"  I'm  coming  with  you  on  your  cruise  to  Inishgowlan," 
he  said. 

"  What  about  your  poor  old  governor  and  the  little 
girl  in  Rathmines  ?  " 

"  Never  you  mind  about  them.  When  I've  explained 
things  to  you  a  bit  you'll  see  that  it'll  be  a  jolly  sight 
better  both  for  my  governor  and  for  my  little  girl  if  I 
go  with  you." 

"  You  mean  to  shoot  seals  and  to  make  muffs  out  of 
their  skins  for  the  little  girl  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't.  I  know  well  enough  that  the  seals  off 
this  coast  don't  have  the  proper  sort  of  skins  for  muffs. 
I  mean  to  go  to  Inishgowlan  and  bring  back  a  whole 
pot  of  money,  thousands  and  thousands  of  pounds.  I'll 
rig  my  little  girl  out  in  proper  furs  when  I  get  back. 
She  shall  have  silk  dresses  and  real  lace  and  a  motor- 
car, and  I'll  drive  her  up  and  down  Grafton  Street  and 
buy  her  any  mortal  thing  she  chooses.  I'll  take  my 
poor  old  governor  out  of  that  beastly  dispensary,  where 
he's  slaving  away  doctoring  people  who  neither  pay  nor 
say  '  Thank  you.'  I'll  set  him  up  in  a  jolly  little  house 
down  near  Kingstown  with  a  couple  of  daily  papers,  a 
bottle  of  good  whisky,  and  as  much  tobacco  as  he  cares 


16  SPANISH  GOLD 

to  smoke.  I'll  give  the  rector  a  couple  of  hundred  or 
so  for  the  church,  and  make  his  mind  easy  about  the 
loss  of  Sir  Giles's  subscription.  I'll " 

"  Perhaps  you'll  tell  me,"  said  the  Major,  "  where  this 
enormous  fortune  is  to  come  from." 

"  Out  of  Inishgowlan." 

"  Oh !  out  of  Inishgowlan.     I  see.     But  how  ?  " 

"  Look  here,  Major.  Your  grandfather  went  to  that 
island  in  1798  with  Sir  Giles  and  Lady  Buckley.  He 
anchored  his  sloop  in  the  bay,  and,  naturally,  as  they 
were  there  nearly  six  weeks,  they  occasionally  went  on 
shore." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  they  did." 

"  Very  well.  The  people  of  Inishgowlan  in  those  days 
talked  nothing  but  Irish,  and  so  naturally  your  grand- 
father and  Sir  Giles  couldn't  understand  them.  But 
Lady  Buckley  could." 

"  I  know  what  you're  at  now,"  said  the  Major.  "  I've 
read  that  diary  or  log  or  whatever  the  old  man  called 
it.  You've  got  a  hold  of  that  cock-and-bull  story 
about  the  Spanish  Armada  shipwreck  and  the  lost 
treasure." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  deny,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  a  Spanish 
ship  was  wrecked  on  Inishgowlan  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't.  I  dare  say  there  was  one  wrecked 
there.  That  Armada  seems  to  have  piled  up  ships  all 
round  this  coast.  My  grandfather  brought  back  an 
old  iron  chest  from  Inishgowlan  which  is  in  the 
house  this  minute.  I  always  heard  it  was  an  Armada 
chest." 

"  So  far,  so  good.  You  give  in  to  the  shipwreck. 
Now  it  appears  that  Lady  Buckley  didn't  say  a  word 
to  her  husband  or  your  grandfather  at  the  time  about 


SPANISH  GOLD  17 

what  she  heard  from  the  island  people.  But  when  she 
came  home  she  told  them  a  long  story.  All  the  people 
believed  then  that  there  was  a  pile  of  gold  hidden  some- 
where on  the  island.  They  said  that  the  Spanish  cap- 
tain left  the  island  with  the  remains  of  his  crew  in  two 
of  their  curraghs,  or  rather  their  great-grandfather's 
curraghs,  and  didn't,  in  fact,  couldn't,  take  anything  with 
him  except  some  papers  and  arms.  That's  the  story 
Lady  Buckley  heard." 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  it,"  said  the  Major.  "  I  don't 
see  where  the  treasure  comes  in." 

"  Well,  you  must  be  uncommonly  thick-headed  if  you 
don't.  If  the  Spanish  captain  didn't  carry  off  the  treas- 
ure, he  must  have  left  it  on  the  island.  You  follow  that 
reasoning,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I  do,  of  course,  but " 

"Well,  if  the  treasure  had  been  found  any  time  be- 
tween the  shipwreck  and  1798  the  people  would 
have  known  about  it,  wouldn't  they?  And  they 
wouldn't  have  told  Lady  Buckley  it  was  still  on  the  is- 
land. Therefore  the  treasure  was  still  there  in  1798. 
See?" 

«  But " 

"  Wait  a  moment.  If  the  treasure  was  discovered 
since  1798  we'd  have  heard  of  it.  Those  Inishgowlan 
men  come  in  here  to  Ballymoy  to  do  their  marketing. 
Now  suppose  they'd  taken  to  offering  the  shopkeepers 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  Spanish  gold  coins  any 
time  during  the  last  century,  do  you  suppose  we 
shouldn't  have  heard  of  it?  Why,  man,  the  whole 
country  would  be  full  of  stories  of  their  find.  But  no- 
body in  this  neighbourhood  has  ever  so  much  as  seen 
a  Spanish  coin,  therefore  the  Inishgowlan  people  can't 


i8  SPANISH  GOLD 

have  found  the  treasure.  Therefore  it's  on  the  island 
still." 

Meldon  paused  triumphantly.  His  chain  of  reasoning 
was  complete. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  the  Major,  "  supposing  there 
ever  was  any  treasure  to  find." 

"  My  dear  Major,  do  try  to  be  sensible.  Further  on 
in  the  log-book,  which  you  say  you've  read,  I  find  that 
old  Sir  Giles  and  your  grandfather,  having  heard  Lady 
Buckley's  story,  made  another  expedition  to  the  island 
to  look  for  the  treasure." 

"  They  did,  and  brought  back  the  old  iron  chest  that's 
in  my  bedroom  this  minute." 

"  Now  I  ask  you,"  said  Meldon,  "  were  your  grand- 
father and  old  Sir  Giles  the  kind  of  men  to  go  off  on 
a  wild-goose  chase  after  treasure  which  didn't  exist? 
They  weren't  that  kind  of  men  at  all,  either  of  them. 
They  were  shrewd,  hard-headed  men  who  thought 
things  out  carefully  before  they  acted.  If  they  had  a 
fault,  it  was  that  they  were  a  bit  tod  keen  about 
money." 

"  How  do  you  know  all  that  ?  " 

"  It  stands  to  common  sense,"  said  Meldon.  "  Peo- 
ple who  keep  their  property  safe,  as  the  Buckleys 
did,  all  through  the  eighteenth  century  in  Ireland, 
must  have  been  pretty  sharp  business  men.  Besides, 
I  always  heard  that  the  first  Buckley  came  over 
from  Scotland.  And  the  Scots,  as  we  all  know, 
don't  waste  their  time  fooling  after  treasure  which 
doesn't  exist.  You  may  take  my  word  for  it,  Major, 
that  those  two  old  gentlemen  knew  what  they  were 
about." 

"  They  didn't  find  it." 


SPANISH  GOLD.  19 

"  No,  they  didn't.  That's  where  we  come  in.  If 
they'd  found  it,  it  wouldn't  be  there  for  us,  would 
it?" 

"  I  don't  see  that  you've  proved  yet  that  there  was; 
any  treasure  to  find.  The  ship,  supposing  there  was  a 
ship  wrecked  there,  mightn't  have  had  treasure  in  her." 

"  That's  where  your  want  of  a  proper  education  tells 
against  you,  Major.  If  you'd  read  history  you'd  know 
that  all  those  Spanish  ships  were  full  of  treasure.  Take 
Kingsley's  '  Westward  Ho ! '  for  instance.  You  may 
have  read  that  perhaps." 

"  That's  only  a  novel." 

"  Well,  I  can't  help  quoting  novels  to  you  when  you've 
read  nothing  else,  and  very  few  of  them.  If  you'd 
read  other  books  I'd  refer  you  to  them.  But  '  West- 
ward Ho ! '  will  show  you  that  the  Spaniards  never 
went  to  sea  without  a  good  supply  of  gold  in  the  holds 
of  their  ships,  besides  silver  cups  and  any  amount  of 
ecclesiastical  robes,  copes,  and  mitres  and  things,  simply 
studded  with  gems.  That's  the  kind  of  men  the  Span- 
iards were." 

"  I  suppose  you  think  you're  going  to  find  all  this 
wonderful  treasure  yourself." 

"  Of  course  I  am.  It  only  wants  a  little  intelli- 
gence." 

"  You  said  just  now  that  old  Sir  Giles  and  my  grand- 
father were  intelligent  men,  and  they  didn't  find 
it." 

"  They  hadn't  the  advantages  we  have  now,"  said 
Meldon.  "  I  don't  deny  their  intelligence,  but  they 
didn't  know,  they  couldn't  know,  how  to  go  about  the 
business.  The  discovery  of  buried  treasure  hadn't  be- 
come an  exact  science  in  their  time.  Edgar  Allan  Poe 


20  SPANISH  GOLD 

hadn't  written  his  stories.  The  art  of  the  detective 
hadn't  been  developed.  They  hadn't  so  much  as  heard 
of  Sherlock  Holmes.  They  had  about  as  much  chance 
of  finding  that  treasure  as  Galileo  with  his  old-fashioned 
telescope  had  of  discovering  a  disease  germ.  Now  we 
are  in  quite  a  different  position.  We  start  with  all 
the  methods  of  highly-trained  intellects  ready  to  our 
hand,  so  to  speak.  There's  only  one  thing  I'm  sorry 
for,  and  that  is  that  there  isn't  a  cryptogram.  I'm  par- 
ticularly good  at  cryptograms." 

"  How  do  you  mean  to  start?  " 

"  It  would  have  been  easier,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  there 
had  been  a  cryptogram.  However,  there  isn't.  Or,  if 
there  is,  we  haven't  got  it.  As  it  is,  we've  got  to  do 
without  it.  The  first  thing  is  to  put  ourselves  in  the 
place  of  the  Spanish  captain.  That's  the  way  great 
detectives  always  begin.  They  put  themselves  in  the 
other  fellow's  place  and  think  what  they'd  have  done 
if  they'd  been  him.  Now,  supposing  you'd  been  the 
Spanish  captain  and  found  that  you  couldn't  carry  off 
your  treasure,  what  would  you  have  done  with  it  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I'd  have  dug  a  hole  and  buried  it." 

"  No,  you  wouldn't.  Not  unless  you'd  been  a  perfect 
fool.  If  you'd  been  the  Spanish  captain  you'd  have  had 
more  sense  than  you  appear  to  have  now." 

"  Then  it  wouldn't  have  been  me." 

"  It  would,  because  we  started  with  the  supposition 
that  you  were  the  Spanish  captain,  and  he  must  have 
had  some  sense.  You  don't  suppose  the  Spaniards, 
the  greatest  nation  on  earth  at  the  time,  would  have 
started  off  a  thing  like  that  Armada  without  seeing  that 
the  captains  of  the  ships  were  sensible  men.  Of  course 
they  wouldn't." 


SPANISH  GOLD.  21 

"  But  if  the  captain  had  sense  and  I  haven't " 

"  There's  no  use  arguing  round  a  subject  in  that  way. 
Put  it  like  this.  Suppose  I  was  the  Spanish  captain, 
what  would  I  have  done?  I  wouldn't  have  dug  a  hole, 
because  I  would  have  known  that  the  people  of  the 
island  would  have  watched  me  dig  it.  Even  if  I'd  dug 
it  at  night  they'd  have  seen  the  marks  next  morning, 
and  the  moment  my  back  was  turned  they'd  have  dug 
the  treasure  up  again.  You  must  give  the  captain  credit 
for  being  a  reasonable  man." 

"  Well,  now  you've  barred  burying  the  treasure,  which 
I  still  think  was  the  obvious  thing " 

"  Too  obvious.     That's  my  point." 

"  What  would  you  do  ?  There  aren't  any  caves  on 
the  island  that  ever  I  heard  of." 

"  I  shouldn't  have  put  it  into  a  cave  in  any  case.  A 
cave  is  exactly  the  place  the  amateur  treasure-seeker 
always  looks  for  first.  No.  If  I  were  the  Spanish  cap- 
tain I  should  have  picked  out  an  unobtrusive-looking  hole 
or  cleft  in  the  rocks,  just  above  high-water  mark,  and 
dumped  my  stuff  down  there.  What  we  have  to  do  is 
to  find  that  hole  or  cleft." 

"  That  will  be  a  longish  job,"  said  the  Major.  "  I 
should  guess  the  island  to  be  about  two  miles  around. 
It  will  take  some  time  to  poke  into  every  hole  in  two 
miles  of  rough  rocks." 

"  We  shan't  do  that.  We  shall  proceed  on  a  care- 
fully reasoned,  scientific  plan,  which  I  shall  think  out 
and  explain  to  you  when  we  get  there." 

Meldon  lit  his  pipe,  which  he  had  hitherto  neglected, 
poured  himself  out  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  sat  down.  He 
remained  silent,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  was  think- 
ing out  the  scientific  plan.  The  Major  took  up  his 


22  SPANISH  GOLD 

Times  and  began  to  read  a  leading  article  on  the  appall- 
ingly lawless  condition  of  Ireland.  At  the  end  of  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  Meldon  spoke. 

"  Have  you  a  map  of  the  island  ?  " 

"  No.  I  have  a  chart  and  the  sailing  directions,  but 
they  are  on  board  the  Spindrift." 

Again  Meldon  remained  silent  for  a  time.  Then  he 
asked — 

"  Are  there  many  people  on  the  island  ?  " 

"Ten  families,  I  believe,"  said  the  Major.  "All 
cousins  of  each  other." 

"  I  ask,"  said  Meldon,  "  because  if  there  are  people 
there  we  may  find  it  necessary  to  adopt  some  disguise." 

"  If  you  imagine  for  a  moment  that  I'm  going  to 
wander  round  that  island,  or  any  other,  dressed  up  in 
a  false  beard  and  blue  spectacles " 

"  I  don't  imagine  anything  of  the  kind.  When  I  said 
that  we  must  adopt  some  disguise,  I  meant  that  we  must 
be  able  to  give  a  reasonable  account  of  our  proceedings 
to  the  natives.  If  we  let  them  know  we're  after  their 
treasure  there  may  be  trouble.  They  will  naturally  want 
to  go  shares  in  our  find." 

"  I'd  take  half  a  crown,"  said  the  Major,  "  for  all  I 
find." 

Meldon  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  and 
rose. 

"  I  must  be  off,"  he  said.  "  I've  got  to  see  Doyle 
and  that  fellow  Langton  to-night  about  hiring  my 
boat  to  them.  I  was  thinking  of  asking  £30  for  the 
month." 

"  The  boat's  not  worth  it  to  buy,"  said  the  Major. 
"  You  only  gave  £25  for  her." 

"Well,  I  gaid  I'd  ask  £30.    I'm  quite  prepared  to 


SPANISH  GOLD  23 

take  £25.  That  will  simply  be  getting  my  money  back, 
with  no  profit  on  the  business  at  all." 

"  You'll  have  the  boat  at  the  end  of  the  month." 

"  Will  I  ?  Unless  the  friend  he  talks  about  is  a  dif- 
ferent sort  of  man  from  what  Langton  looks  there'll 
be  precious  little  of  the  Aureole  left  at  the  end  of  the 
month." 

"All  right,"  said  the  Major.  "Get  what  you  can. 
If  the  man  is  fool  enough  to  hire  your  Aureole  for 
£25  he's  certainly  fool  enough  to  smash  her  up.  But 
I  advise  you  to  see  the  colour  of  his  money  before  you 
hand  over  the  boat." 

Meldon  winked. 

"  In  any  case,"  said  the  Major,  "  he'd  be  a  fool  to  go 
to  sea  in  her.  She's  rotten." 

"  I  don't  expect  he  wants  to  go  to  sea,"  said  Meldon. 
"  He'll  just  potter  about  among  the  islands  in  the  bay. 
Anyway,  he's  got  to  take  my  boat  if  he  wants  one  at 
all.  You  won't  hire  yours,  and  there's  no  other. 
Doyle  said  this  afternoon  that  there  were  plenty,  but 
that  was  only  to  encourage  Langton  to  stay  on  at  the 
hotel.  There's  nothing  else  that  could  be  called  a 
yacht  within  fifty  miles  of  Ballymoy.  But  I  must  be 
off.  Let  me  see,  is  there  anything  else  we  have  to 
settle?" 

"  You  might  fix  a  day  for  starting,"  said  the  Major. 

"  Monday  next.  I'll  see  the  rector  to-morrow  and 
arrange  about  it.  I  could  start  on  Sunday  night  if  you 
like.  It's  my  turn  to  preach  in  the  evening  and  I'd  cut 
it  a  bit  short,  so  as  to  be  out  here  with  you  by  half-past 
seven." 

"  No,  thanks.  Monday  morning  will  be  time  enough 
for  me.  But  we'll  get  off  early.  You'd  better  come 


24  SPANISH  GOLD 

out  and  sleep  here  or  on  the  boat.  I'm  glad  you're 
coming,  J.  J.  We'll  have  a  jolly  cruise.  We'll  spend 
a  couple  of  days  on  the  small  island  and  then  run  across 
to  the  big  one." 

"  We'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  I  can't  give  more 
than  a  week  altogether,  and  it  will  take  us  all  that  time 
to  get  the  treasure." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  really  expect  to  get 
that  treasure  ?  " 

"  I  do,  of  course.  I  tell  you,  Major,  I've  all  my  life 
had  a  taste  for  treasure-seeking.  Next  to  piracy  or 
being  wrecked  on  a  desert  island,  there's  nothing  in 
the  world  I'm  so  keen  on  as  hidden  treasure.  I'm 
pretty  sure  that  I  have  a  special  talent  for  finding  it. 
Do  you  suppose  I'm  going  to  miss  my  chance  now  I've 
got  it?  Not  likely." 

"  J.  J.,"  said  the  Major  solemnly,  "  you're  a  bigger 
fool  than  any  one  would  take  you  for  by  your  looks." 

"  All  right.  Just  you  wait  till  we're  coming  home 
again,  and  see  who  is  the  fool  then." 


CHAPTER  III 

MELDON  mounted  his  bicycle  and  rode  towards 
Ballymoy  even  more  rapidly  than  he  had  ridden 
out  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  a  moonless  night  and  the 
road  in  some  places  was  difficult  to  see.  About  three 
miles  from  the  town  Meldon  ran  into  a  donkey,  which, 
after  a  fashion  common  among  donkeys  in  Connacht, 
was  lying  asleep  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  The  crea- 
ture was  greatly  startled  but  not  much  hurt.  It  floun- 
dered over  the  bank  into  the  nearest  field  as  quickly 
as  its  hobbled  forelegs  allowed  it.  Meldon  was  pitched 
over  his  handle-bars  and  cut  the  palms  of  both  his 
hands.  He  picked  himself  up  and  found  that  the 
front  forks  of  his  bicycle  were  badly  bent.  It  was  im- 
possible to  ride  and  almost  impossible  to  wheel  the  ma- 
chine. With  the  perfect  confidence  in  everybody's 
honesty  which  residence  in  the  West  of  Ireland  begets 
in  a  man,  he  laid  the  machine  in  the  ditch  and  walked 
on.  His  card  was  in  the  tool-bag,  and  he  felt  sure  that 
some  carter  would  bring  the  thing  into  the  town  in  the 
morning.  He  whistled  cheerfully  as  he  tramped 
along.  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Meldon  had  an  excellent 
temper.  It  took  more  than  a  trifling  accident  and  a 
few  cuts  to  upset  it.  He  didn't  even  use  unkind  language 
about  the  donkey. 


S6  SPANISH  GOLD 

It  was  late  when  he  arrived  in  Ballymoy.  The  win- 
dows of  most  of  the  houses  were  dark  and  the  people 
were  in  bed.  A  light  still  burned  in  an  upper  window 
of  Mr.  Doyle's  hotel.  Before  the  days  of  the  Land 
League  it  had  been  called  the  "  Buckley  Arms."  Mr. 
Doyle's  father,  recognising  the  fact  that  politicians  and 
farmers  were  his  best  customers,  had  taken  down  the 
old  sign,  which  might  have  been  offensive,  and  put  up 
in  large  gilt  letters,  "  The  Imperial  Hotel."  Some  day, 
perhaps,  if  patriotism  becomes  the  motive  power  of 
Irish  agitation,  another  Doyle  will  change  the  name  again 
and  call  his  house  "The  National."  In  the  mean- 
while "  The  Imperial "  is  a  good  name.  It  suggests 
a  certain  spacious  sumptuousness  and  justifies  the 
price  which  Mr.  Doyle  charges  for  beds,  dinners,  and 
breakfasts. 

The  prospect  of  the  large  fortune  which  he  expected 
to  get  on  Inishgowlan  Island  did  not  in  the  least  modify 
Meldon's  eagerness  to  make  the  best  possible  bargain 
with  the  stranger.  Even  if  he  had  actually  secured  all 
the  Spanish  gold,  he  would  still  have  been  keenly  anx- 
ious to  get  the  most  he  could  for  his  boat.  Like  all 
Irishmen,  he  found  a  pleasure  in  bargaining,  and 
haggled  for  shillings  without  being  particularly  covetous, 
in  the  spirit  of  the  sportsman  who  hunts  foxes  which 
he  doesn't  want  to  eat.  Meldon  looked  forward  to  be- 
ing able  to  brag  afterwards  of  having  got  the  better 
of  a  stranger.  That,  and  the  delight  of  proving  him- 
self the  better  man,  were  the  attractive  things,  not  the 
mere  acquisition  of  a  pound  or  two. 

He  entered  the  hotel  and  found  Mr.  Langton  sitting 
in  lonely  splendour  in  a  room  called  the  drawing-room. 
There  was  a  bottle  of  whisky  on  a  table  before  him 


SPANISH  GOLD  27 

and  a  jug  of  water.  But  Mr.  Langton,  perhaps  be- 
cause the  visitor  he  expected  was  a  clergyman,  had  drunk 
very  little.  The  bottle  was  almost  full.  The  carpet 
was  littered  with  tobacco  ash  and  the  ends  of  cigarettes. 
All  the  books  which  usually  adorned  Mr.  Doyle's 
solitary  bookshelf  were  on  the  floor.  Mr.  Lang- 
ton  had  been  trying  to  read  them  and  had  failed. 
There  were  four  sixpenny  novels,  three  biographies 
of  saints  with  gilt  tops  to  their  leaves,  a  prayer-book 
with  an  imitation  ivory  cross  on  its  cover,  a  copy  of 
Moore's  "  Melodies  "  with  the  music,  and  several  very 
old  magazines.  There  was  also  a  tattered  book  called 
"  Speeches  from  the  Dock,"  which  Mr.  Langton  seemed 
to  have  found  more  interesting  than  the  others,  for  he 
held  it  in  his  hand. 

"  Good-evening  to  you,  sir,"  said  Meldon,  "  I  called 
with  reference  to  the  boat  about  which  we  were  speak- 
ing this  afternoon." 

"  Quite  so.  I'm  glad  to  see  you.  Sit  down.  Do 
you  mind  if  I  ring  the  bell  for  Mr.  Doyle?  He  kindly 
promised  to  give  me  the  benefit  of  his  advice." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  bell  acts,"  said  Meldon,  as  Lang- 
ton  tugged  at  a  knob  beside  the  chimneypiece.  "  For 
the  matter  of  that  I  don't  know  a  bell  in  Ballymoy  that 
does  act,  barring,  of  course,  the  church  bell  and  the 
chapel  bell,  which  are  different." 

"  Stupid  of  me,"  said  Langton.  "  I  ought  to  have 
guessed  that,  except  those  of  the  various  churches,  which 
are,  as  you  say,  different,  the  bells  in  this  country 
wouldn't  be  meant  to  ring.  It  is,  if  I  may  say  so, 
characteristic  of  Ireland  that  they  don't." 

Meldon  looked  at  the  man  in  front  of  him.  It 
crossed  his  mind  that  the  stranger  might  possibly  be 


28  SPANISH  GOLD 

poking  fun  at  him.  He  dismissed  the  idea  at  once  as; 
absurd. 

"If  you  want  Doyle,"  he  said,  " the  best  thing  to  do 
is  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  stairs  and  shout.  I  told  him 
not  to  go  to  bed  till  after  I'd  called." 

Langton  shouted  as  he  was  bidden,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes Doyle  entered  the  room. 

"  Good-evening  to  you,  Mr.  Meldon,"  he  said.  "  I 
suppose  now  you  didn't  succeed  in  persuading  the  Major 
to  change  his  mind  about  the  boat." 

"  I  did  not,"  said  Meldon. 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder  now  if  you  didn't  try  very  hard." 
Doyle  cast  a  knowing  look  at  Langton  out  of  the  cor- 
ners of  his  eyes  as  he  spoke.  "  Nor  it  couldn't  be  ex- 
pected that  you  would,  seeing  as  how  you  have  a  boat 
of  your  own  that  might  suit." 

"  I  don't  know  yet  that  she  would  suit,"  said  Meldon. 
"  What  do  you  want  her  for?  " 

"  My  friend  and  I  want  to  cruise  about  your  bay," 
said  Langton.  "  We  are  spending  our  holiday  here." 

"  She's  a  good  boat,"  said  Doyle.  "  And  what's  more 
than  that,  she's  a  safe  boat.  I  never  heard  tell  yet  of 
any  man  being  drowned  out  of  her,  long  as  I'm  liv- 
ing here ;  and  there's  many  a  boat  you  couldn't  say  that 
for." 

"  Is  she  for  hire,"  said  Langton,  "  and  at  what 
price?" 

But  this  direct  method  of  arriving  at  the  point  of 
the  negotiation  did  not  commend  itself  either  to  Doyle 
or  Meldon. 

"I  mind  well,"  said  Doyle,  "when  old  Tommy 
Devoren  used  to  be  sailing  her  for  the  R.M.  that  was 
in  it  them  times,  he'd  say  how  divil  a  safer  nor  a  drier 


SPANISH  GOLD  29 

boat  for  a  lady  ever  he  come  across,  and  him  taking 
the  R.M.'s  two  daughters  out  in  her  maybe  as  often  as 
twice  in  a  week." 

"  Is  there  a  cabin  in  the  boat,"  asked  Langton,  "  in 
which  my  friend  and  I  could  sleep  ?  " 

"  Cabin !  What  would  hinder  there  to  be  a  cabin  ? 
Tell  the  gentleman  what  kind  of  a  cabin  there  is  in 
her,  Mr.  Meldon.  Sure  you  know  it  better  than 
me." 

"  There  is  a  cockpit  and  a  small  cabin,"  said  Meldon. 
"  She's  a  five-ton  boat." 

"  That  would  suit.  Now  what  do  you  want  for  her 
by  the  month  ?  " 

"  Can  you  sail  a  boat  ?  "  said  Meldon.  "  I  don't  want: 
to  be  giving  my  Aureole  to  a  man  that  would  knock  the 
bottom  out  of  her  on  some  rock.  And  let  me  tell  you 
there  are  plenty  of  rocks  in  this  bay." 

"  Sail  her !  "  said  Doyle.  "  Why  wouldn't  he  be  able 
to  sail  her?  Is  it  likely  now,  Mr.  Meldon — I  put  it  to 
you  as  a  gentleman  who  knows  a  boat  when  he  sees 
one — is  it  likely  that  Mr.  Langton  would  come  all  the 
way  to  Ballymoy  to  look  for  a  boat  if  he  couldn't  sail 
her  when  he  got  her?  Sail  her!  I'll  answer  for  it 
he  can  sail  her  right  enough." 

Mr.  Doyle  was  anxious  to  preserve  an  air  of  fine' 
impartiality.  He  praised  Mr.  Langton's  seamanship,  of 
which  he  knew  nothing,  with  an  air  of  profound 
conviction,  just  as  he  praised  Meldon's  boat,  of  which 
he  knew  all  there  was  to  know.  His  argument  was 
powerful  and  unanswerable.  Why  should  a  man 
travel  all  the  way  to  Ballymoy,  which  is  twenty  miles 
from  the  nearest  railway  station,  to  look  for  a  boat, 
unless  he  felt  himself  able  to  make  some  use  of  her? 


30  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I'm  not  much  of  a  sailor  myself,"  said  Langton, 
"  but  my  friend  is.  I  give  you  my  word  that  he's  well 
able  to  look  after  your  boat." 

"  Who  is  your  friend  ?  "  said  Meldon. 

"  I  don't  see  what  business  that  is  of  yours,"  said 
Langton,  displaying  a  certain  irritation  for  the  first  time. 
"If  you  won't  hire  your  boat  without  seeing  our  bap- 
tismal certificates  and  our  mothers'  marriage  lines  you 
may  keep  her.  I'm  prepared  to  pay  for  what  I  want, 
and  nothing  else  matters  to  you." 

"  Good-evening,"  said  Meldon,  rising. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Doyle,  "  gentlemen  both,  this  is 
no  way  to  do  business.  Mr.  Meldon,  you've  no  right 
to  be  asking  the  gentleman  questions  about  his  mother. 
Isn't  his  money  just  as  good  as  if  he  never  had  a  mother 
at  all?  Mr.  Langton,  sir,  you'll  excuse  me,  but  Mr. 
Meldon  is  a  clergyman,  and  it's  only  right  that  he 
shouldn't  want  his  boat  to  fall  into  bad  hands." 

"Will  you  hire  the  boat  or  not?"  asked  Lang- 
ton. 

"  You  can  have  her  for  a  month,"  said  Meldon,  still 
standing  hat  in  hand,  "  for  thirty  pounds,  money  down 
in  advance,  and  I'll  have  no  more  talk  about  the  matter. 
You  may  take  it  or  leave  it." 

"  Thirty  pounds ! "  said  Doyle.  "  Come  now,  Mr. 
Meldon,  it's  joking  you  are." 

"  Considering  the  risk  I  run,  I'll  not  take  a  penny 
less." 

"  Thirty  pounds ! "  said  Doyle,  "  is  a  big  lump  of 
money." 

"  Take  it  or  leave  it." 

"  I  don't  deny  that  she's  a  good  boat  and  well  suited 
to  what  Mr.  Langton  wants  her  for.  But  thirty 


SPANISH  GOLD  3f 

pounds!  Come  now.  The  gentleman  here  is  a  friend 
of  mine.  You  mustn't  be  hard  on  him.  Say  twenty 
pounds." 

"  Thirty,"  said  Meldon.  "  After  all,  I  don't  want  to 
let  the  boat  at  all.  I'd  just  as  soon  keep  her  for  my 
own  use." 

Like  every  one  else  in  Ballymoy,  Doyle  knew  exactly 
what  Meldon  had  paid  for  the  boat,  and  was  very  well 
aware  of  the  rottenness  of  her  hull  and  the  dilapidated 
condition  of  her  rigging. 

"  You're  a  hard  man,  so  you  are,"  he  said.  "  I  never 
knew  priest  nor  parson  yet  but  was  desperate  hard  to 
get  the  better  of  in  a  matter  of  money.  I'll  tell  you 
now  what  you  ought  to  do.  Split  the  differ  and  say 
twenty-five  pounds." 

"  Well,  rather  than  stop  here  all  night  talking  about 
it,"  said  Meldon,  "  I'll  call  it  twenty-five  pounds:" 

"  And  a  pound  back  out  of  that  for  luck,"  said 
Doyle. 

"  No,  not  a  penny  back.  Twenty-five,  money 
down." 

Doyle  drew  his  chair  over  to  Langton  and  whispered. 

"It's  a  fair  offer.  You'll  find  it  hard  to  better  it. 
The  Major  now  would  have  asked  fifty  for  his  old 
Spindrift.  It's  my  advice  to  you,  Mr.  Langton,  to 
close  on  it  this  minute  before  he  has  time  to  sleep 
on  the  offer.  Maybe  to-morrow  morning  he  might  be 
asking  the  advice  of  some  one  that  would  be  for  putting 
up  the  price  on  you.  What  do  you  say  now  ?  " 

"  I'll  give  it,"  said  Langton,  "  on  your  assurance  that 
the  boat  is  as  represented." 

"  The  gentleman  takes  your  offer,  Mr.  Meldon,"  said 
Doyle.  "  Twenty-five  pounds  down  and  the  boat  to 


32  SPANISH  GOLD 

be  returned  in  good  condition,  all  damages  to  be  made 
good.  What  do  you  say  now  to  a  drop  of  something 
to  wet  the  bargain  ?  " 

But  Meldon  would  not  drink.  He  went  home  to  his 
lodgings  and  meditated,  as  he  smoked  a  final  pipe,  on 
the  glories  and  splendours  which  would  be  his  when 
he  had  found  the  treasure  on  Inishgowlan.  His 
conscience  was  quite  untroubled  by  the  thought  of 
his  bargain  with  Langton.  The  boat  was  rotten — so 
rotten  that  a  man  who  knew  anything  about  boats  would 
hesitate  to  go  to  sea  in  her.  If  Langton's  friend 
knew  no  more  about  boats  than  Langton  did,  some 
kind  of  accident  was  certain  to  happen.  Meldon  con- 
soled himself  with  the  thought  that  it  would  happen 
before  they  got  far  enough  away  from  land  to  run  any 
serious  risk  of  drowning.  Moy  Bay  was  full  of  islands, 
and  the  water  was  always  calm  in  summer  time  inside 
the  bay.  If  the  Aureole  did  go  to  pieces  Langton  and 
his  friend  could  row  to  one  of  the  islands  in  the  punt. 
Meldon's  punt  was  a  good  one. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  Spindrift,  close  hauled,  tHrasKed  fier  way  out; 
towards  Inishgowlan  against  a  south-westerly 
breeze.  The  coast  to  the  east,  a  low  dark  line,  lay 
almost  hidden  in  the  haze.  The  entrance  to  Moy 
Bay  was  scarcely  distinguishable.  Major  Kent,  in  an 
oilskin  coat,  sat  at  the  tiller.  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Meldon, 
most  under ically  clad  in  a  blue  fisherman's  jersey, 
old  grey  tweed  trousers,  and  a  pair  of  sea-boots, 
sprawled  on  the  deck  near  the  mast.  He  was  ap- 
parently indifferent  to  the  sheets  of  spray  which 
broke  over  the  bow  of  the  boat  now  and  then,  when 
she  struck  one  of  the  short  seas  which  happened  to 
be  a  little  larger  than  its  fellows.  His  red  hair  was  a 
tangle  of  thick  wet  curls.  His  face  and  the  backs 
of  his  hands  were  speckled  with  white  where  the 
salt  had  dried  on  them.  The  skin  of  his  nose, 
under  the  influence  of  bright  sunshine  and  sea- 
water,  already  showed  signs  of  beginning  to  peel 
off.  He  had  a  pair  of  field-glasses  in  his  hand, 
which  he  polished  occasionally  with  a  red  cotton 
pocket-handkerchief,  and  through  which  he  gazed 
at  the  island  in  front  of  him.  To  the  south  lay 
Innishmore,  the  larger  of  the  two  islands.  Dead 
ahead  was  Inishgowlan,  a  long  green  bank  as  it 

33 


34  SPANISH  GOLD 

seemed,  sloping  down  eastward,  dotted  over  with  small 
white  cabins,  and  divided  into  tiny  fields  of  the  most 
irregular  shapes  imaginable. 

"  In  another  half-hour,"  said  the  Major,  "  we'll  be 
well  under  the  lee  of  the  island  and  the  water  will  be 
a  bit  calmer.  Then  we'll  have  something  to  eat." 

"  I  suppose  we  anchor  in  that  bay,"  said  Meldon, 
pointing  forward. 

He  was  more  interested  in  the  island  and  in  the  adven- 
ture before  him  than  in  the  prospect  of  luncheon. 

"  Yes.  It's  a  fine,  safe  bay,  good  bottom,  perfect 
shelter  from  the  west,  south,  and  north,  and  deep  water 
up  to  the  very  shore.  You  could  anchor  a  man-of- 
war  in  that  bay  and  lie  snug  the  whole  winter 
through." 

"  I  thought  you  told  me,"  said  Meldon,  a  few  minutes 
later,  "  that  there  was  nobody  upon  the  island  except 
natives." 

"  No  more  there  is.  At  least,  there  wasn't  last  time 
I  was  there  five  years  ago." 

"  And  that  they  live  in  thatched  cabins." 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  they  don't.  There's  a  galvanised  iron  hut  on 
the  grass  just  above  the  shore  of  the  bay." 

"  Nonsense !  There  can't  be  such  a  thing  on 
Inishgowlan.  Why  would  the  people  fetch  a  galvan- 
ised iron  house  out  from  the  mainland  when  they  can 
build  anything  they  like  out  of  stones  ready  to  their 
hands?" 

"  I  don't  know.     But  the  thing's  there." 

"  Do  you  take  the  tiller  for  a  minute,"  said  the  Major, 
"  and  give  me  the  glasses." 

He  gazed  at  the  island. 


SPANISH  GOLD  35 

"  You're  right  enough,"  he  said.  "  The  thing's  there. 
It's  exactly  like  the  one  the  engineers  lived  in  when 
they  were  making  the  railway  down  to  Achill.  Now 
I  wonder  who  the  deuce  put  a  thing  like  that  on 
Inishgowlan  ?  " 

"  They  couldn't  be  building  a  railway  on  the  island, 
could  they?" 

"No,  they  couldn't.  Who'd  build  a  railway  on  an 
island  a  mile  long  ?  " 

"  The  Government  would,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  the  fancy 
struck  them.  But  it's  more  likely  to  be  a  pier,  and 
the  Board  of  Works  engineer  will  be  living  in  that 
hut." 

"  It  can't  be  a  pier.  They  built  a  pier  there  only 
three  years  ago.  You  can  see  it,  if  you  look,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  bay." 

"  That  wouldn't  stop  them  building  another,"  said 
Meldon.  "  I  dare  say  you've  observed,  Major,  how 
singularly  little  originality  there  is  about  Chief  Secre- 
taries. One  of  them,  whose  name  is  lost  in  the  mists 
of  antiquity,  thought  of  piers  and  seed  potatoes,  and 
since  then  all  his  successors  have  gone  on  building 
piers  and  giving  out  seed  potatoes.  They  never  hit  on 
anything  original.  Now  if  I  was  a  Chief  Secretary 
I'd  strike  out  a  line  of  my  own.  When  I  found  I 
had  to  build  something  I'd  run  up  a  few  round 
towers." 

"  I  dare  say  you  would." 

"  Of  course  there  would  be  difficulties  in  the  way. 
A  pier  is  a  comparatively  simple  thing  to  build,  because 
part  of  it  must  be  in  the  sea  and  the  rest  on  some 
beach  which  nobody  in  particular  owns.  Whereas  I 
should  have  to  get  a  site  in  somebody's  field  for  my 


36  SPANISH  GOLD 

round  tower,  and  I  should  probably  have  the  League 
denouncing  me  for  land  grabbing." 

The  Major  took  the  tiller  again,  and  Meldon  re- 
sumed his  inspection  of  the  island  through  the 
glasses. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said  after  a  while,  "  if  there  is 
a  Government  official  of  any  kind  in  that  iron  hut  it 
may  turn  out  awkward  for  us." 

"How?" 

"  I'm  not  quite  sure  of  the  law  on  the  subject,  but 
I've  always  understood  that  the  Government  sets  up  to 
have  a  claim  to  all  treasure  that's  found  buried  or  hidden 
anywhere.  It  won't  do  to  let  this  fellow,  whoever  he  is, 
find  out  what  we're  after." 

Major  Kent,  who  had  never  taken  the  treasure-seeking 
very  seriously,  made  no  reply  to  this  remark. 

"  We'll  have  to  adopt  a  disguise,"  said  Meldon.  "  I 
told  you  all  along  that  we  probably  would." 

"  I  won't " 

"  Now  don't  make  that  remark  about  the  false  beard 
again.  What  we  have  to  do  is  to  invent  some  plausible 
excuse  for  spending  a  week  on  the  island." 

"  Tell  him  we're  out  trawling." 

"  That  won't  do.  In  the  first  place  we  shan't  trawl ; 
in  the  second  place  he'd  ask  where  our  nets  were. 
Those  fellows  who  spend  their  lives  watching  other 
people  doing  things  develop  an  unholy  curiosity  about 
everybody  else's  business.  We  must  hit  on  something 
more  likely  than  that.  Suppose  we  told  him  we  were 
out  to  learn  Irish  ?  " 

"  Stuff ! "  said  the  Major ;  "  you  wouldn't  take  in  a 
newspaper  correspondent  with  that  tale.  Just  look  at 
me.  I've  turned  fifty,  and  I'm  developing  an  elderly 


SPANISH  GOLD  tf 

spread.  Ho  I  look  like  the  kind  of  man  wHo  would 
go  off  to  a  desert  island  to  learn  Irish  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  there  may  not  be  an  engineer  there  after 
all.  It'll  be  time  enough  to  think  of  what  we'll  say  when 
we  see  him." 

"  Besides,"  continued  the  Major,  in  whose  mind  the 
idea  of  learning  Irish  seemed  to  rankle,  "the  fool 
will  very  likely  be  learning  Irish  himself.  Lots  of 
those  fellows  do,  I'm  told.  Then  he'd  want  us  to  join 
him,  and  it  might  end  in  our  having  to  learn 
Irish,  whether  we  liked  it  or  not.  Here,  take  the 
tiller,  and  I'll  go  below  and  get  some  grub  up  on 
deck." 

Still  grumbling  at  the  idea  of  learning  Irish,  the  Major 
fetched  some  cold  meat,  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  whisky 
from  the  cabin.  The  Spindrift  was  in  calmer  water, 
and  Meldon  was  able  to  give  both  hands  to  the  task 
of  feeding  himself,  steadying  the  tiller  by  hooking  a 
leg  over  it.  The  boat  raced  into  the  shelter  of  the  bay, 
and  the  Major,  having  stowed  away  the  remainder  of 
the  food  in  the  cabin,  busied  himself  in  getting  ready 
the  anchor. 

"The  inhabitants,"  said  Meldon,  "are  turning  out 
en  masse  to  welcome  us.  They  are  all  down  on  the 
end  of  the  pier — 

"'Old  men  and  babes  and  loving  friends, 
And  youths  and  maidens  gay.' 

And  there  is  an  engineer  there.  At  least,  if  he  isn't 
an  engineer,  he's  mighty  like  one.  He's  dressed  in  grey 
tweed  knickers  and  brown  boots,  and  I  think  he  has 
spectacles.  There  isn't  a  doctor  on  the  island  by  any 
chance?" 


38  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  There  is  not,  nor  ever  was.  Cock  the  likes  of  those 
fellows  up  with  a  doctor ! " 

"  Well,  then  he's  an  engineer.  He  couldn't  be  any- 
thing else.  Pass  the  glasses  aft  till  I  get  a  good  look 
at  him." 

"  He  is  wearing  spectacles,"  said  Meldon,  staring 
through  the  glasses.  "  And  I  fancy  I  know  him.  He's 
a  fellow  called  Higginbotham ;  he  was  in  my  class  in 
college.  We  went  in  for  our  Little-Go  together.  I 
heard  he  had  got  a  job  under  the  Congested  Districts 
Board.  Now  could  the  Congested  Districts  Board  have 
a  man  out  here  ?  " 

"  They  might ;  there's  no  saying  where  you'd  run 
across  one  of  their  officials.  The  less  likely  the  place 
is  the  more  certain  you  are  to  meet  one  of  them.  Round 
her  up  into  the  wind,  J.  J. ;  we're  near  enough  to  the 
shore." 

The  boat  edged  up  into  the  wind;  the  jib  and  the 
mainsail  flapped  furiously.  The  anchor  splashed  into  the 
water  and  the  chain  rattled  out.  Meldon  ran  forward 
and  slacked  the  jib  halyards.  The  Major  gathered  in 
the  sail. 

"  If  that's  Higginbotham,"  said  Meldon  a  few  minutes 
later,  when  he  and  the  Major  were  making  up  the  main- 
sail, "  it's  all  right.  There'll  be  no  difficulty  whatever 
in  dealing  with  Higginbotham.  In  the  first  place  he's 
a  thoroughly  decent  sort,  and  I  don't  believe  he'd  want 
to  meddle  with  the  treasure;  in  the  second  place  he's 
quite  an  easy  man  to  deceive.  He  always  took  what's 
called  an  intelligent  interest  in  his  work  when  he  was 
in  college,  and  never  paid  the  least  attention  to  any- 
thing else.  If  they've  sent  him  to  cover  the  whole  island 
over  with  galvanised  iron  sheds,  he'll  do  it  quietly.  He'll 


SPANISH  GOLD  39 

talk  and  think  of  nothing  else  till  it's  done.  Any  lie 
will  do  for  Higginbotham ;  he'll  believe  whatever  I  tell 
him." 

"  If  you  are  going  to  stuff  him  up  with  any  cock-and- 
bull  story,"  said  the  Major,  "  you  may  go  and  do  it  by 
yourself.  I'll  stay  here  and  tidy  up.  You  take  the  punt 
and  go  ashore  to  your  long-lost  friend.  But,  mind  now, 
if  you  say  a  word  about  learning  Irish,  I'll  go  back  on 
you  straight  away." 

A  collapsible  canvas  punt  lay  folded  amidships. 
Meldon  stretched  her  out,  fixed  the  seat,  and  lowered 
her  carefully  into  the  water.  He  seated  himself  in  her 
with  the  utmost  caution,  complaining  that  he  was  quite 
unused  to  a  boat  of  the  kind,  and  paddled  towards  the 
pier.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was  shaking  hands  with 
Higginbotham  in  the  middle  of  a  group  of  admiring 
islanders. 

"Well,  now,"  he  said,  "isn't  the  world  small?  Last 
time  I  saw  you  was  at  the  winter  commencements  in  old 
Trinity,  when  we  took  our  degrees  together?  Fancy 
meeting  you  here  of  all  places ! " 

"  I'm  very  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Higginbotham,  blink- 
ing benignantly  through  his  large  round-glassed  spec- 
tacles. "  I  find  it  lonely  here,  with  nobody  to  speak  to. 
But  I  thought  you  were  a  parson,  J.  J.?" 

He  eyed  Meldon's  collarless  neck,  the  blue  jersey,  the 
shabby  trousers  and  sea-boots,  dubiously.  Higginbotham 
himself  was  a  young  man  who  took  care  to  be  faultlessly 
attired  on  all  occasions.  Even  on  Inishgowlan  he  wore 
a  clean  collar,  a  light  blue  tie,  and  a  well-cut  Norfolk 
jacket.  He  carried  his  affection  for  civilised  usage  so 
far  as  to  change  his  shirt  and  wear  a  smoking  jacket 
every  evening  in  his  iron  hut. 


#)  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  So  I  am,"  said  Meldon ;  "  but  you  can't  expect  me  to 
wear  a  dog-collar  and  a  black  coat  on  a  ten  tOrnier. 
Tell  me,  now  —  what  brings  you  to  this  island  ?  " 

"  The  Board  has  bought  the  island,  and  I'm  here 
striping  it.  You  know  what  I  mean,  don't  you?  I'm 
dividing  it  up  into  proper-sized,  compact  farms,  building 
fences  and  walls,  so  that  the  people  won't  be  holding 
it,  as  they  do  at  present,  in  little  bits  and  scraps,  and 
not  knowing  properly  what  belongs,  to  each  of 
them." 

"  Will  you  soon  be  done?  " 

"  I  would  be  done  very  soon,"  said  Higginbotham, 
"  only  for  one  old  fellow  who's  blocking  the  whole  busi- 
ness. He  refuses  to  stir  from  a  wretched  little  field, 
right  in  the  middle  of  the  island,  and  the  most  miserable, 
tumble-down  shed  of  a  house  you  ever  saw — a  place 
you'd  be  sorry  to  put  a  pig  into." 

"  I  wouldn't ;  I  hate  pigs.  Pigs  and  cats — I'd  put  them 
anywhere." 

"There's  a  hole  in  the  middle  of  his  field,  too,"  said 
Higginbotham,  in  an  aggrieved  voice,  "a  hole  that  a 
heifer  once  fell  into  and  got  killed,  and  he  won't  so 
much  as  let  me  near  it  to  put  up  a  fence." 

"  Why  don't  you  reason  with  him,  and  show  him  that 
you're  acting  for  his  own  good?  You  are  acting  for 
his  good,  aren't  you?  You  haven't  any  little  game  on 
of  your  own,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I  try  to  reason  with  him,  but  he  doesn't  understand 
English.  He  speaks  nothing  but  Irish  himself." 

"Well,  why  don't  you  tackle  him  in  Irish?  Do  you 
mean  to  tell  me,  Higginbotham,  that  you  can't  talk  Irish  ? 
You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself." 

"  I'm  trying  to  learn,"  said  Higginbotham.    "  In  fact, 


SPANISH  GOLD  41 

I'm  determined  to  master  the  language.  I've  got  a  gram- 
mar and  a  dictionary  up  in  my  house  now.  I'll  talk  to 
that  old  man  in  a  way  that  he'll  understand  before  I've 
done  with  him." 

"  Quite  right.  I'd  offer  to  help  you  myself,  only  that 
I'm  afraid  I  shan't  have  time." 

"  Are  you  going  off  to-morrow  ?  I'm  sorry.  I  hoped 
you  might  have  been  here  for  a  few  days." 

"  We  shall  be  here  for  a  week  at"  least,"  said  Meldon, 
"but  I  shan't  have  time  to  teach  you  Irish.  We  shall 
be  frightfully  busy." 

"  Busy !    What  are  you  going  to  do?  " 

"  I'm  here  with  my  friend,  Major  Kent.  He's  been 
sent  to  make  a  geological  survey  of  the  island." 

"  Really !  I  never  heard  anything  about  that.  The 
Board  ought  to  have  let  me  know." 

"  He  isn't  acting  for  the  Board.  It  was  the  Lord- 
Lieutenant  and  the  Chief  Secretary  who  sent  him  here. 
The  fact  is,  Higginbotham,  that  the  Major's  business 
is  of  rather  a  private  nature.  I  don't  mind  telling  you, 
but  it  mustn't  go  any  further,  that  an  important  syndicate 
has  made  the  Government  an  offer  for  the  mining  rights 
of  this  island  ?  " 

"Over  the  head  of  the  Board?" 

"  Oh,  I  know  nothing  about  that.  In  fact,  neither 
the  Major  nor  I  knew  anything  about  the  Board  having 
bought  the  island  when  we  came  here.  You  know  the 
way  these  Government  departments  overlap  each  other, 
and  none  of  them  know  what  the  others  are  doing.  I 
shouldn't  wonder  a  bit  if  the  Estates  Commissioners 
turned  up  before  long  and  said  the  island  was  theirs. 
However,  you  can  understand  that  the  Chief  Secretary 
wasn't  going  to  sell  the  mining  rights  of  the  place  without 


'42  SPANISH  GOLD[ 

finding  out  what  they  were  worth.  He  sent  out  Major 
Kent  to  make  a  report." 

"  But — but — there  must  be  some  mistake.  Can  you 
have  come  to  the  wrong  island  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Meldon.  "  You  ought  to  know 
me  better  than  that,  Higginbotham.  Am  I  the  sort  of 
man  who  comes  to  a  wrong  island?" 

"Of  course  not.  But  there  must  be  some  mistake. 
There  are  no  minerals  on  the  island  at  all.  The  whole 
place  is  nothing  but  pliocene  clay." 

"  You  may  be  right  or  you  may  be  wrong.  My  friend 
Major  Kent  will  find  that  out  for  himself.  I'm  not  a 
mining  expert,  so  I  don't  offer  an  opinion;  but  I'll  just 
say  this,  speaking  as  a  man  with  no  special  knowledge 
of  geology,  but  still  with  a  good  general  education — 
it  doesn't  look  to  me  like  pliocene  clay,  not  in  the 
least." 

"  I  assure  you,  J.  J.,  the  geological  map " 

"  I'm  not  an  expert,  Higginbotham,  and  I  don't  pro- 
pose to  start  an  argument  with  you  on  the  subject. 
What's  more,  I  don't  advise  you  to  try  to  argue  with 
the  Major.  He's  a  good-natured  man  and  easy  to  get 
on  with  so  long  as  you  don't  touch  his  own  particular 
subject.  But  he's  as  snappy  as  a  fox  in  a  trap  if  any 
one  starts  talking  geology  to  him.  You  know  what 
these  experts  are.  It's  the  artistic  temperament.  You 
wouldn't  like  it  yourself  if  some  outsider  began  laying 
down  the  law  to  you  about  galvanised  iron  sheds." 

"  Still,  I'd  like  to  tell  him " 

"  Take  my  advice  and  don't.  If  you  so  much  as 
mention  pliocene  clay,  or  tertiary  deposits,  or  aurifer- 
ous reefs,  or  anything  of  that  kind  to  the  Major, 
you'll  be  sorry  afterwards.  The  best  thing  for  you 


SPANISH  GOLD  43 

is  not  to  let  on  that  you  know  what  he's  here  for  at 
all." 

"  I  won't,  of  course,  if  you  say  I'm  not  to,  but " 

"  That's  right.  It's  better  not,  for  your  own  sake. 
And  besides,  you'd  only  get  me  into  a  mess.  I'd  no 
business  to  tell  you  about  the  matter.  The  Major 
is  frightfully  particular  about  official  reticence  and  all 
that  kind  of  thing.  He's  a  man  of  violent  temper  if 
he's  roused.  He'd  do  anything  when  his  blood's  up. 
In  fact,  they  say  that  his  career  in  the  army  was  cut 
short  on  account  of  his  smashing  up  a  man  who  insisted 
on  asking  him  questions  he  didn't  want  to  answer.  The: 
man  recovered  more  or  less  in  the  end  and  the  thing 
was  hushed  up,  but  the  Major  had  to  resign.  Of  course 
I  can't  be  sure  of  the  truth  of  that  story.  I  only  heard 
it  at  third  hand.  It  may  be  nothing  but  gossip.  But 
any  way,  don't  you  worry  the  Major.  Let  him  potter 
about  the  island  tapping  rocks  if  he  likes.  He  won't 
do  you  any  harm." 

"  All  right,  old  man.  And  look  here,  you  and  the 
Major  had  better  come  and  feed  with  me  to-night.  I 
can't  call  it  dinner,  but  I'll  do  the  best  I  can.  I've  got 
a  tinned  tongue  and  a  lobster." 

"  Delighted.  I'll  answer  for  the  Major.  And  we'll 
subscribe  to  the  feast.  On  a  desert  island  every  ship- 
wrecked mariner  brings  what  he  can  to  the  common 
store.  We'll  contribute  some  corned  beef  and  a  tin  of 
sardines.  What  time  ?  " 

"  I've  a  little  writing  to  do,"  said  Higginbotham. 
"  Shall  we  say  7.30?  Of  course  you  needn't  dress." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Meldon,  with  a  grin ;  "  we  won't,  if 
you're  sure  you  don't  mind.  I'll  take  a  stroll  round  the 
island  and  then  go  and  fetch  the  Major," 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  island  of  Inishgowlan  is  formed  on  a  simple 
plan,  common  among  islands  off  the  west  coast 
of  Ireland.  The  western  side  consists  of  a  series  of 
bluffs,  rising  occasionally  to  the  dignity  of  cliffs.  At 
the  base  of  these  the  Atlantic  rollers  break  themselves, 
carving  out  narrow  gullies  wherever  they  find  a  suitably 
soft  place.  From  these  bluffs  the  island  slopes  gradually 
down  to  its  eastern  coast. 

Meldon,  after  leaving  Higginbotham,  walked  to  the 
top  of  the  western  ridge,  climbing  a  number  of  loose 
stone  walls  on  his  way.  He  made  his  way  to  the  highest 
point  of  the  island,  and  from  it  surveyed  the  whole  coast 
line.  Then  he  sat  down  and  thought.  He  was  working 
out  a  plan  for  discovering  the  treasure,  which,  as  he 
believed,  lay  concealed  somewhere.  After  smoking  two 
pipes  he  went  down  again  to  the  pier,  embarked  in  the 
collapsible  punt,  and  paddled  off  to  the  Spindrift.  The 
Major  was  sound  asleep  in  the  little  cabin.  Meldon 
woke  him. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  said.  "I've  put  Higginbotham 
completely  off  the  scent.  We  can  go  where  we  like 
and  do  what  we  like  and  he'll  ask  no  questions.  We're 
to  dine  with  him  to-night.  I  hope  you  won't  mind.  I 
promised  to  bring  along  your  corned  beef  and  some 

44 


SPANISH  GOLD  45 

sardines.  Higginbotham  doesn't  seem  to  have  anything 
except  a  tinned  tongue  and  a  lobster.  I  don't  know 
how  you  feel,  but  I  fancy  I  could  account  for  the  whole 
tongue  myself  without  spoiling  my  appetite  for  the 
lobster." 

"  You're  quite  right,"  said  the  Major.  "  But  what 
about  drink  ?  Shall  we  bring  some  whisky  ?  " 

"  It  might  be  just  as  well.  Higginbotham  wasn't  a 
teetotaller  when  I  knew  him  in  college,  but  he  may  be 
now — you  never  can  tell  what  fads  a  man  will  take  up. 
He  told  me  he  was  learning  Irish." 

"  We'll  take  the  whisky,  then,"  said  the  Major. 

The  beef,  the  sardines,  and  the  bottle  were  stowed 
in  the  bow  of  the  punt.  The  Major  seated  himself  in 
the  stern.  Meldon  took  the  paddles. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Meldon,  when  about  half  the 
journey  was  accomplished,  "  what  is  pliocene  clay  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  How  could  I  know  a  thing  like  that? 
I  never  heard  of  the  stuff  before.  Is  there  any  of  it  on 
the  island?" 

"  According  to  Higginbotham  the  whole  island  consists 
of  nothing  else." 

"  Let  it.     It  makes  no  odds  to  us  what  it  consists  of." 

"  It  may  make  a  great  deal  of  odds  to  you,  Major." 

Meldon  had  stopped  paddling  and  sat  looking  at  his 
friend.  A  smile  lurked  under  his  moustache;  his  eyes 
twinkled.  A  feeling  of  uneasiness,  a  premonition  of 
coming  evil,  a  sudden  suspicion,  took  possession  of  the 
Major's  mind. 

"  J.  J.,"  he  said  solemnly,  "  tell  me  the  truth.  What 
did  you  say  to  that  Congested  Districts  friend  of  yours?. 
What  did  you  tell  him  we  were  here  for?" 

"  I  told  him  that  you  were  a  mining  expert  and  that 


46  SPANISH  GOLD 

you'd  been  sent  by  the  Lord-Lieutenant  and  the  Chief 
Secretary  to  make  a  geological  survey  of  the  island." 

"Great  Scott!" 

The  Major  started  so  violently  that  the  punt  rocked 
from  side  to  side.  The  water  lipped  in  first  over  one 
gunwale,  then  over  the  other. 

"  Sit  still,"  said  Meldon.  "  This  is  no  place  to  be 
giving  way  to  strong  emotion.  Remember  that  you  are 
floating  about  in  a  beastly  umbrella  turned  upside  down, 
a  thing  that  might  shut  up  under  you  at  any  moment. 
It  may  not  matter  to  you  whether  you  are  drowned 
or  not,  but  I  want  to  see  my  little  girl  again  before 
I  die." 

"  But — but — gracious  Heavens,  J.  J. " 

"  He  believed  it  all  right  in  the  end,"  said  Meldon. 
"  He  seemed  a  bit  surprised  at  first,  but  I  put  it  to  him 
in  a  convincing  way  and  I  think  he  believed  me.  That 
was  how  we  got  on  the  subject  of  pliocene  clay." 

"  Turn  round,"  said  the  Major  sternly,  "  and  row  back 
to  the  Spindrift.  I'll  up  anchor  and  leave  this  place 
to-night!  I'm  not  going  ashore  to  be  made  a  fool  of 
by  your  abominable  inventions." 

"  It's  all  right.  You  won't  be  made  a  fool  of.  Hig- 
ginbotham  will  respect  you  all  the  more  for  being  an 
expert.  He's  just  the  sort  of  man  who  looks  up  to 
experts.  And  he  won't  bother  you  with  questions.  I 
told  him  you  were  a  man  of  violent  temper  and  couldn't 
bear  being  worried  about  your  work." 

Meldon  began  to  paddle  towards  the  pier.  The  Major 
sat  limp  in  the  stern  of  the  punt.  A  sweat  had  broken 
out  on  his  forehead. 

"  What  else  did  you  tell  him  ?  Let  me  have  the  whole 
of  it." 


SPANISH  GOLD  47 

"  Oh,  nothing  else.  I  never  say  a  word  more  than  is 
necessary.  There's  no  commoner  mistake  than  over- 
doing one's  disguise." 

"  That's  all  well  enough,  but  why  couldn't  you  have 
put  the  disguise,  as  you  call  it,  on  yourself  instead  of 
me?  Why  didn't  you  say  that  you  were  a  mining 
expert  ?  " 

"  He  wouldn't  have  believed  that.  I  simply  couldn't 
have  made  him  believe  that  I  know  anything  about 
pliocene  clay." 

"  Well,  you  might  have  told  him  something  else  about 
yourself,  something  he  would  have  believed.  I  hate 
being  dragged  into  these  entanglements." 

"  There's  no  entanglement  that  I  can  see,"  said  Meldon. 
"  But  I'm  sorry  now  that  I  mentioned  you  at  all.  If 
I'd  known  the  way  you'd  feel  about  it,  I  wouldn't.  I'll 
tell  you  what  it  is,  Major,  I'll  take  the  very  first  oppor- 
tunity of  telling  him  something  about  myself.  I'll 
shift  the  whole  business  off  your  shoulders.  Higgin- 
botham  will  forget  all  about  you.  Come,  now,  I  can't 
do  more  than  that.  I  don't  say  it  will  be  easy  to  get 
him  to  swallow  a  second  story  immediately  on  top  of 
the  first,  but  for  your  sake,  Major,  I'm  willing  to 
try." 

The  spirit  of  Higginbotham's  hospitality  was  all  that 
could  be  desired.  His  means  of  making  his  guests  com- 
fortable were  limited.  He  had  only  two  plates  in  his 
establishment.  They  were  given  to  Meldon  and  Major 
Kent.  Higginbotham  himself  ate  off  a  saucer.  The 
tongue  was  placed  on  the  table  in  its  tin,  and  morsels 
were  dug  out  of  it  with  a  knife.  There  was  no  dish 
for  the  corned  beef,  so  Meldon  laid  it  on  a  drawing 
board  with  a  newspaper  underneath  it.  There  was  one 


48  SPANISH  GOLD 

tumbler,  a  cup,  and  a  sugar-basin  to  drink  out  of.  Hig- 
ginbotham  turned  out  not  to  be  a  teetotaller.  He  pro- 
vided bottled  stout  for  his  guests.  The  lobster,  when 
it  came  to  the  time  for  eating  it,  was  torn  in  pieces  by 
Meldon  and  then  taken  outside  to  have  its  shell  broken 
with  stones.  Major  Kent  was  accommodated  with  a 
hammock  chair,  from  which  he  reached  his  food  with 
great  difficulty.  Meldon  had  a  wooden  stool.  Higgin- 
botham  sat  on  a  corner  of  his  bed,  which  he  dragged 
into  the  middle  of  the  room. 

When  the  meal  was  over  the  three  men  went  out  of 
doors  and  smoked.  The  evening  was  beautifully  fine. 
The  breeze  which  blew  earlier  in  the  day  had  died 
away.  The  water  of  the  bay  was  motionless.  The 
Spindrift  lay  at  her  anchor,  a  double  boat,  every  spar 
and  rope,  every  detail  of  her  hull,  reflected  beneath  her. 
On  the  beach  near  the  pier  lay  two  canvas  curraghs, 
turned  upside  down,  their  gunwales  resting  on  little 
piles  of  stones.  Some  children  played  round  them.  On 
the  pier  stood  a  group  of  five  or  six  men,  who  smoked, 
gazed  at  the  Spindrift,  and  occasionally  made 
a  remark  to  each  other.  The  hammock  chair  was 
brought  out  for  Major  Kent,  and  he  lay  back  in  it 
luxuriously.  Meldon  and  Higginbotham  sprawled  on 
the  grass.  When  the  dew  made  it  uncomfortably  wet, 
Meldon  fetched  a  blanket  off  Higginbotham's  bed  and 
spread  it  for  himself.  Higginbotham  perched,  stiffly,  on 
a  stone. 

For  a  long  time  the  conversation  kept  on  perfectly 
safe  topics.  Higginbotham  described  the  operations  of 
the  Congested  Districts  Board  on  Inishgowlan  and  else- 
where. He  waxed  enthusiastic  over  the  social  and 
material  regeneration  of  the  islanders;  he  spoke  with 


SPANISH  GOLD  49 

pitying  contempt  of  their  original  way  of  living.  They 
grew,  it  appeared,  wretched  potato  crops  in  fields  so 
badly  fenced  that  stray  cattle  wandered  in  and  trampled 
the  young  plants  at  critical  stages  of  their  growth.  The 
people  lived  in  ill-lighted,  ill-ventilated,  and,  according 
to  modern  ideas,  wholly  insanitary  cabins.  Their 
system  of  land  tenure  was  extraordinarily  complicated 
and  inconvenient.  The  holdings  were  inextricably 
mixed  up,  so  that  hardly  any  one  could  walk 
through  his  own  fields  without  trespassing  on  his 
neighbour's. 

"  You'll  hardly  believe  me,"  said  Higginbotham,  "  but 
sometimes  a  man  holds  a  bit  of  land  not  much  larger 
than  a  decent  table-cloth,  entirely  surrounded  by  a  field 
belonging  to  some  one  else." 

This  evil  condition  of  things  Higginbotham,  at  the 
bidding  of  his  Board,  had  undertaken  to  remedy.  He 
brought  out  from  his  hut  a  map  of  the  island,  and 
showed  how  he  proposed  to  divide  it  into  parallel 
strips.  He  explained  that  each  strip  was  to  be 
bounded  by  a  fence  six  feet  high;  that  good  wooden 
gates  were  to  be  erected;  that  a  house  was  to  be  built 
at  the  top  of  each  strip — a  house  with  a  slated  roof, 
three  rooms,  and  a  concrete  floor  in  the  kitchen. 
He  displayed  with  great  pride  a  picture,  curiously 
wanting  in  perspective,  of  a  whole  row  of  singularly 
ugly  houses  perched  along  the  western  ridge  of  the 
island. 

The  Major  yawned  without  an  attempt  to  hide  the 
fact  that  he  was  bored.  He  had  no  taste  whatever  for 
philanthropy,  and  hated  what  he  called  Government 
meddling.  Higginbotham  continued  to  display  plans  and 
elevations  with  unabated  enthusiasm.  He  was,  as 


50  SPANISH  GOLD 

Meldon  had  said,  a  young  man  who  took  a  real  interest 
in  his  work.  His  eyes,  behind  his  spectacles,  beamed 
with  benignant  satisfaction  while  he  described  the  earthly 
paradise  he  meant  to  create.  Suddenly  his  face  clouded 
and  the  joy  died  out  of  it. 

"  But  the  whole  thing  is  blocked,"  he  said,  "  by  the 
pig-headed  stupidity  of  one  old  man." 

"  Tell  the  Major  about  him,"  said  Meldon. 

"  They  call  him  the  king  of  the  island,"  said  Higgin- 
botham,  "  but  of  course  he's  not  really  a  king  any  more 
than  I  am  myself." 

"  Not  nearly  so  much,"  said  Meldon.  "  From  all 
you've  told  us  I  should  say  you  are  what's  called  a 
benevolent  despot." 

"  He's  simply  a  sort  of  head  of  the  family,"  said 
Higginbotham.  "  They  are  all  brothers  and  sisters  and 
cousins  on  the  island.  His  name  is  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat.  At  least,  that's  what  the  people  call  him.  I  don't 
see  much  sense  myself  in  sticking  in  the  Pat  at  the 
end." 

"  No  more  do  I,"  said  Meldon.  "  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
ought  to  be  name  enough  for  any  king." 

"  Of  course,  there  are  three  other  Thomas  O'Fla- 
hertys  on  the  island,  and  it  might  be  difficult  to 
distinguish  them.  There's  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Tom, 
and  Thomas " 

The  Major  yawned  more  obviously  than  ever.  He 
had  spent  a  long  day  on  the  sea;  he  had  eaten  with  a 
good  appetite;  he  had  smoked  a  satisfying  quantity  of 
tobacco.  He  was  totally  uninterested  in  the  family  of 
the  O'Flahertys.  Higginbotham  became  aware  that  he 
was  boring  his  principal  guest.  Inspired,  perhaps,  by 
some  malignant  spirit,  he  changed  the  subject  of  the 


SPANISH  GOLD  51 

conversation  to  one  more  likely  to  hold  the  attention  of 
Major  Kent. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  won't  find  Inishgowlan  very  interest- 
ing, Major,  from  your  point  of  view." 

"  My  point  of  view  ?  " 

"  I  mean  as  a  scientific  man." 

The  Major  woke  up  and  scowled  at  Meldon. 

"  The  geological  formation "  said  Higginbotham. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  Meldon,  cheerfully.  "  As 
a  matter  of  fact  the  Major's  tremendously  interested  in 
pliocene  clay.  It  has  been  a  hobby  of  his  from  his  child- 
hood. You'd  be  surprised  all  there  is  to  know  about 
pliocene  clay.  The  Major  has  quite  a  library  of  books 
on  the  subject,  and  he  tells  me  that  it  isn't  by  any  means 
fully  investigated  yet." 

As  he  spoke  he  leaned  forward  from  his  blanket  and 
pinched  the  calf  of  Higginbotham's  leg  severely. 

"  All  right,"  said  his  victim,  "  I'll  drop  the  subject  if 
you  like ;  but  I  was  going  to  say " 

"  I  took  a  walk  before  dinner,"  said  Meldon,  "  and 
had  a  look  at  the  island.  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  couldn't  find  a  better  place  for  the 
school " 

"  What  school  ?  "  said  Higginbotham. 

"  The  school  I  was  telling  you  about  this  afternoon. 
But  perhaps  I  forgot  to  mention  it." 

The  scowl  on  the  Major's  face  deepened.  He  realised 
that  Meldon,  in  fulfilment  of  his  promise,  was  going 
to  shift  the  burden  of  the  disguise  to  his  own 
shoulders. 

"  I  never  heard  anything  about  a  school,"  said 
Higginbotham. 

"  I  wonder  you  didn't.     But  I  dare  say  the  post  is 


52  SPANISH  GOLD 

rather  irregular  here.  The  fact  is  that  the  Board — not 
your  Board,  you  know,  but  the  Board  of  National  Edu- 
cation— has  determined  to  build  a  school  on  the  island 
and  asked  me  to  run  across  and  look  out  for  a 
site." 

The  Major  with  a  struggle  sat  upright  in  his  hammock 
chair.  His  mouth  opened.  He  made  an  effort  to 
speak. 

"It's  all  right,"  said  Meldon  soothingly.  "I  know 
what  you  are  going  to  say — official  reticence,  and  that 
sort  of  thing.  But  it  doesn't  matter  mentioning  these 
things  to  Higginbotham.  He's  in  the  Government 
service  himself." 

The  Major  opened  his  mouth  again,  but  his  thoughts 
failed  to  express  themselves.  Meldon  felt  the  necessity 
of  modifying  his  statement. 

"Of  course  the  Board  didn't  actually  send  me  here 
specially  for  the  purpose.  They  heard  I  was  coming 
here  with  the  Major,  and  just  dropped  me  a  line  to  say 
that  I  may  keep  my  eyes  open  and  let  them  know  if 
there  was  a  suitable  site  for  a  school." 

Higginbotham  stared  in  blank  amazement.  As  an 
official  he  knew  something  of  the  ways  of  Irish  Govern- 
ments and  was  seldom  astonished  at  their  doings.  He 
had  swallowed,  with  some  little  misgiving,  the  story  of 
Major  Kent's  mission.  It  was  just  possible  that  a  Lord- 
Lieutenant  and  a  Chief  Secretary,  in  a  moment  of 
temporary  insanity  brought  on  by  overwork  and  much 
anxiety,  might  have  sent  an  expert  to  make  a  geological 
survey  of  Inishgowlan.  It  was  quite  incredible  that 
the  National  Board  of  Education  could,  of  its  own  free 
will,  intend  to  build  a  school.  Meldon  was  unpleasantly 
conscious  of  having  aroused  scepticism.  He  nerved 


SPANISH  GOLD  53 

himself  to  reduce  Higginbotham  to  a  condition  of  passive 
belief. 

"  The  Board  has  heard  of  all  you're  doing  here,"  he 
said,  "  and  naturally  wants  to  put  a  finishing  touch  to 
the  work  by  providing  for  the  education  of  the  children. 
After  all  you've  done  in  the  way  of  improving  the 
material  conditions  of  life,  the  Commissioners  feel  that 
it  would  be  a  national  disgrace  if  the  rising  generation 
is  left  in  a  condition  of  barbaric  ignorance.  You  recol- 
lect what  the  hymn  says: — 

"'Every  prospect  pleases 
And  only  man  is  vile.' 

That's  how  the  Commissioners  feel,  and  you  can't  blame 
them." 

"  But  there  are  only  nine  children  on  the  whole  island," 
said  Higginbotham. 

"  Still  there  are  nine.  Why  should  nine  children  go 
ignorant  to  their  graves?  It  isn't  the  fault  of  the  nine 
that  there  aren't  more.  Besides,  there  may  be  more. 
That's  what  the  Board  of  Education  feels — there  may 
be  more.  The  Commissioners  are  long-headed  men, 
Higginbotham;  not  a  cuter  lot  on  any  Board  in 
Ireland.  They  look  to  the  future.  They  see  before 
them  generations  of  Thomas  O'Flahertys  yet  unborn, 
little  toddlers  coming  out  of  those  slated  houses  of  yours 
with  copy-books  in  their  chubby  fists,  all  of  them  filled 
with  a  desire  for  knowledge.  I  tell  you  what,  it's  an 
inspiring  picture,  say  what  you  like." 

"  Where,"  said  Higginbotham,  overwhelmed  by  this 
vision  of  the  future,  "  where  do  you  propose  to  build 
the  school?" 

"  There's  a  house,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  you  can  call  it 


54  SPANISH  GOLD 

a  house,  at  the  end  of  a  particularly  abominable  bohireen. 
The  thatch,  what  there  is  of  it,  is  tied  on  with  straw 
ropes,  and  there's  only  one  small  window  to  it  that 
I  could  see.  It's  just  under  the  brow  of  the  hill 
above  the  place  we're  sitting  now.  It's  bang  in  the 
middle  of  the  island,  and  it's  just  the  place  for  a 
school." 

"  That's  the  very  cabin  we've  been  talking  about,"  said 
Higginbotham.  "  That's  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's— the 
place  he  won't  give  up." 

"  Oh,  I'll  manage  him,"  said  Meldon.  "  Don't  you 
worry.  Give  me  a  week  and  I'll  talk  the  old  boy  round. 
And  now  I  think  the  Major  and  I  had  better  be  getting 
back  to  our  floating  home.  We've  got  to  navigate  the 
bay  in  a  punt  that's  more  like  the  half  of  the  cover  of 
a  football  than  anything  else,  and  I  don't  much  fancy 
doing  it  in  the  dark." 

The  Major  remained  obstinately  silent  while  Meldon 
paddled  him  home.  Nor  did  he  make  any  reply  to 
Meldon's  remarks  while  undressing  to  go  to  bed.  Half 
an  hour  later  he  put  his  head  over  the  side  of  his  bunk 
and  said: 

"  I'm  not  going  to  stand  this,  J.  J.  It's  all  very  fine. 
I  don't  deny  that  you're  a  fluent  liar,  but  I'm  not  going 
to  be  made  a  fool  of.  I  won't  stand  it.  Either  you  tell 
Higginbotham  to-morrow  that  you've  been  pulling  his 
leg,  or  I  leave  the  island.  Do  you  hear  me?  Why. 
man,  we  might  get  into  serious  trouble  if  these  stories 
of  yours  ever  came  out.  Are  you  listening  to  me  ?  " 

"  More  or  less,"  said  Meldon  sleepily.  "  Don't  you 
worry.  Leave  it  to  me!  I'll  manage  all  right.  Good- 
night, Major.  Don't  you  get  dreaming  of  pliocene 
clay." 


CHAPTER  VI 

MELDON  woke  early  next  morning.  At  six 
o'clock  he  plunged  overboard  and  swam  delight- 
edly round  the  yacht.  Treasure  or  no  treasure,  he 
intended  to  enjoy  his  holiday,  and  the  June  weather  was 
as  good  as  could  be  wished  for — better  than  any  reason- 
able man  would  dare  to  hope.  Half  an  hour  later  he 
roused  Major  Kent,  and  then  set  to  work  to  light  the 
stove  in  the  galley.  Every  now  and  then  he  poked  his 
head  up  and  shouted  a  remark  to  the  Major,  who  was 
making  his  toilet  on  deck. 

"  We'll  go  ashore  directly  after  breakfast  and  set 
to  work.  Have  you  any  plan  of  operation  in  your 
mind?" 

The  Major  stopped  shaving  and,  razor  in  hand,  looked 
over  to  the  place  from  which  the  red  head  of  the  curate 
had  already  disappeared. 

"  I  have  not,"  he  shouted.  "  I  left  that  to  you.  I 
took  it  for  granted  that  you  would  know  the  exact  spot 
where  the  treasure  lies,  and  that  I  would  have  nothing 
to  do  but  walk  there  and  put  the  gold  into  a  hand- 
bag." 

The  Major,  though  not  intellectually  nimble,  prided 
himself  on  his  power  of  polished  sarcasm.  He  was 
disappointed  to  find  that  his  taunt  had  apparently  failed 

55 


56  SPANISH  GOLD 

to  reach  the  curate.  He  received  no  reply;  but  a  noise 
of  frizzling  and  a  pleasant  smell  of  bacon  melting  on 
a  frying-pan  reached  him  from  the  fore  hatch.  Then 
Meldon's  voice,  this  time  without  the  appearance  of  his 
head,  reached  him  again: — 

"  There  are  only  six  eggs.  I  suppose  I  may  as  well 
fry  them  all." 

"Yes,  and  some  ham  along  with  them." 

"It's  bacon  I  have  on  the  pan,  but  I'll  do  a  slice  or 
two  of  ham  for  you,  if  you  like." 

Half  of  Meldon's  body  emerged  from  the  hatchway, 
and  the  shells  of  six  eggs  were  pitched  overboard. 

"  It  was  full  tide  at  six  this  morning,"  he  said,  return- 
ing to  the  subject  of  the  treasure  hunt;  "I  expect  by 
eight  o'clock  we  ought  to  be  able  to  make  our  way  round 
the  base  of  the  cliffs  on  the  west  side  of  the  island. 
We'll  be  all  right  there  till  one  or  two  o'clock,  any  way. 
What  do  you  say?" 

The  Major  finished  shaving  and  proceeded  to  fill  a 
tin  basin  with  water. 

"  What  do  you  expect  to  take  by  doing  that?  "  he  said. 

He  got  no  answer  for  a  time.  The  frying-pan 
demanded  Meldon's  whole  attention.  The  noise  of 
frizzling  increased  rapidly.  The  Major  balanced  his 
basin  on  the  cabin  skylight  and  scrubbed  himself 
vigorously.  On  the  deck  beside  him  lay  a  cake  of  soap, 
a  towel,  and  a  small  piece  of  pumice-stone.  They  who 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  are  apt  to  get  tarry  sub- 
stances stuck  on  their  hands,  and  the  Major  was  a 
man  who  liked  to  be  clean  once  a  day  at  least.  Beside 
the  basin  on  the  skylight  lay  his  tooth-brush  and  a  box 
of  carbolic  powder,  but  he  did  not  get  a  chance  of 
enjoying  these. 


SPANISH  GOLD  57 

"  Breakfast's  ready,"  shouted  Meldon.  "  Shall  I  drag 
it  all  up  on  deck?  The  air's  pleasant." 

"  No,  let's  be  as  civilised  as  we  can  and  eat  in  the 
cabin." 

Realising  that  the  curate's  appetite  would  not  endure 
much  delay  and  that  his  own  chance  of  securing  a  fair 
share  of  the  six  eggs  depended  on  his  promptitude,  the 
Major  slipped  on  the  jacket  of  his  pyjamas  and  went 
below.  The  eggs,  bacon,  and  ham  steamed  together  in 
a  heap  on  a  dish.  Plates,  knives,  and  forks  were  set 
out.  The  teapot  and  a  tin  of  condensed  milk  stood  at 
the  end  of  the  table. 

"  I  call  this  jolly,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  only  wish  my 
little  girl  was  here  to  take  a  share  with  us." 

"  God  forbid ! "  said  the  Major,  with  pious  gravity. 
"  How  can  you  wish  for  such  a  thing,  J.  J.  ?  Just  fancy 
a  woman  on  a  boat  like  this." 

"  You  don't  know  her.  She  wouldn't  mind  a  bit.  In 
fact  she'd  enjoy  roughing  it.  It  would  be  the  greatest 
fun  out  for  her." 

"  Well,  it  wouldn't  be  any  fun  for  me,"  said  the  Major. 
"  But  tell  me,  what's  this  plan  of  yours  about  scrambling 
about  among  the  rocks  ?  " 

"  I've  given  a  lot  of  serious  thought  to  the  subject 
of  the  treasure,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  sat  for  nearly  an 
hour  on  the  top  of  this  island  yesterday  afternoon  and, 
as  the  hymn  says,  *  I  viewed  the  landscape  o'er/ 
The  result  is  that  I've  picked  out  the  scene  of  the 
shipwreck." 

"Oh,  have  you?  You're  quite  certain  you're  right, 
of  course." 

"  Not  quite  certain — tolerably  certain.  It's  this  way. 
The  galleon " 


58  SPANISH  GOLD 

"The  what?" 

"  The  galleon.  I  wish  you'd  try  not  to  interrupt  me 
so  often.  All  Spanish  ships  were  galleons  if  they  were 
big  and  caraques  if  they  were  small.  Our  one  was  big, 
therefore  she  must  have  been  a  galleon.  We  may  just 
as  well  call  things  by  their  right  names  and  go  to  work 
in  a  business-like  way.  The  galleon  was  wrecked.  Very 
well.  Where  was  she  likely  to  be  wrecked?  On  the 
west  coast  of  the  island." 

"I  don't  see  why." 

"  Because  of  course  if  she'd  got  to  the  east  side  she'd 
have  been  in  calm  water  under  the  lee  of  the  land,  and 
she  wouldn't  have  been  wrecked." 

"  That  doesn't  follow.  The  wind  might  have  been 
nor'-east." 

"  I'm  pretty  sure  it  wasn't,"  said  Meldon,  "  because  it 
hardly  ever  is.  Even  nowadays,  with  all  the  improve- 
ments there  are  in  things,  there's  hardly  ever  a  nor'-east 
wind  on  this  coast,  and  in  those  days — two  hundred  years 
and  more  ago — I  expect  the  wind  just  shifted  about 
through  three  points  of  the  compass,  nor'-west,  west, 
and  sou'-west.  However,  if  you  like,  I'll  argue  out  the 
other  possibilities  afterwards.  For  the  present  we'll  say 
the  galleon  was  most  likely  wrecked  on  the  west  side  of 
the  island.  Now,  put  yourself  in  the  place  of  the 
Spanish  captain." 

"  I've  done  that  before,"  said  the  Major,  "  and  it  was 
no  good." 

"  I  remember  now ;  it  wasn't.  But  anyhow  we  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  stored  his  treasure  in  some 
hole  in  the  rocks.  Obviously,  on  account  of  the  weight 
of  the  treasure  and  the  difficulty  of  carrying  large  quan- 
tities of  loose  coin,  he'd  choose  a  hole  as  near  the  scene 


SPANISH  GOLD  59. 

of  the  shipwreck  as  possible.  Having  fixed  the  scene 
of  the  shipwreck " 

"You  haven't  explained  how  you  fixed  that." 

"  I  can't  either  till  I  show  you  the  place.  Once  you've^ 
seen  it  you'll  admit  that  it  is  by  far  the  likeliest  place 
for  a  thing  of  the  kind.  In  fact  it's  the  only  really 
suitable  place  I  saw.  What  we've  got  to  do  is  to  search 
the  rocks  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  for  the  hole 
that  caught  the  eye  of  the  Spanish  captain." 

"  That's  all  well  enough.  But  the  treasure,  if  there 
ever  was  any  treasure,  was  hidden  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years  ago.  The  place  must  be  entirely  altered  since 
then.  I  understand  that  the  whole  island  is  made  up 
of  pliocene  clay." 

"What's  that  got  to  do  with  it?" 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  Major,  "  I  don't  know  what 
pliocene  clay  is.  But  if  it's  like  any  other  kind  of  clay 
it'll  be  soft  stuff,  and  any  hole  there  might  have  been 
two  hundred  years  ago  will  be  all  washed  away  or 
covered  up  now." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  Meldon,  "  we've  only  got 
Higginbotham's  word  for  it  that  the  island  is  pliocene 
clay,  and  in  the  next  place  I  don't  believe  pliocene  clay 
is  that  kind  of  stuff  at  all.  It  stands  to  reason  that  it 
can't  be.  Why,  man,  if  it  was  anything  like  common 
clay  the  whole  island  would  be;  gone  ages  ago.  You 
take  my  word  for  it,  pliocene  clay  is  some  uncommonly 
hard  substance  that  doesn't  melt  anything  worth  speaking 
of  in  a  couple  of  centuries." 

"  Then  why  is  it  called  pliocene  clay  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  the  sort  of  way  those  scientific  Johnnies 
talk.  I  believe  they  do  it  just  to  deceive  the  general 
public.  You  know  they  speak  about  lunacy,  although 


60  SPANISH  GOLD 

they  know  jolly  well  it  hasn't  got  anything  to  do  with 
the  moon.  What  they  like  is  to  get  hold  of  a  name 
which  is  sure  to  deceive  plain,  straightforward  men  like 
you  and  me,  and  then  when  we  take  it  at  its  face  value, 
put  the  obvious  meaning  on  to  one  of  their  own  words, 
they  make  us  look  like  fools  for  not  knowing  any 
better.  It's  just  the  same  with  typhoid  fever.  I  was, 
talking  to  a  doctor  once,  not  a  common  castor-oil  and 
linseed-poultice  doctor,  but  one  of  the  sort  that  runs 
to  germs  and  microscopes  and  things,  and  he  told  me — 
I  forget  exactly  how  he  put  it,  but  it  amounted  to 
this:  that  any  one  who  went  by  the  name  typhoid 
would  get  on  a  wrong  track  altogether — wouldn't,  in 
fact,  have  proper  typhoid  but  something  else.  I  think 
he  said  he'd  have  something  like  typhus,  which  is  an 
entirely  different  disease;  beastly  infectious,  for  one 
thing,  whereas  the  real  typhoid,  the  thing  that  the  name 
doesn't  mean,  if  you  understand  me,  isn't  catching  at 
all.  Which  just  shows  how  much  trust  you  can  put 
in  scientific  names.  No,  Major,  you  take  my  word  for, 
it,  pliocene  clay  is  some  jolly  hard  kind  of  rock — : 
igneous,  I  expect — and  this  island  is  pretty  much  as  old 
Don  What's-his-name  found  it  when  he  scrambled  on 
shore  out  of  that  galleon." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Major,  "  but  I  believe  we're  on 
a  fool's  errand.  I  doubt  very  much  if  there's  any  treas- 
ure there  at  all.  And  I'm  sure  we  won't  find  it." 

"Don't  croke,"  said  Meldon.  "You  get  into  your 
duds  and  light  your  pipe.  I'll  wash  up  and  get  out  the 
punt.  It's  getting  on  for  eight  o'clock  and  we  ought 
to  be  off." 

An  elderly  man  and  five  out  of  the  nine  children 
resident  on  the  island  stood  on  the  end  of  the  pier 


SPANISH  GOLD  61 

when  Meldon  and  the  Major  landed.  The  man  was 
clad  in  a  very  dirty  white  flannel  jacket  and  a  pair  of 
yellowish  flannel  trousers,  which  hung  in  a  tattered 
fringe  round  his  naked  feet  and  ankles.  He  had  a 
long  white  beard  and  grey  hair,  long  as  a  woman's, 
drawn  straight  back  from  his  forehead.  The  hair 
and  beard  were  both  unkempt  and  matted.  But  the  man 
held  himself  erect  and  looked  straight  at  the  strangers 
through  great  dark  eyes.  His  hands,  though  battered 
and  scarred  with  toil,  were  long  and  shapely.  His  face 
had  a  look  of  dignity,  of  a  certain  calm  and  satisfied 
superiority.  Men  of  this  kind  are  to  be  met  with  here 
and  there  among  the  Connacht  peasantry.  They  are 
in  reality  children  of  a  vanishing  race,  of  a  lost 
civilisation,  a  bygone  culture.  They  watch  the  encroach- 
ments of  another  race  and  new  ideas  with  a  sort  of" 
sorrowful  contempt.  It  is  as  if,  understanding  and 
despising  what  they  see  around  them,  they  do  not  con- 
sider it  worth  while  to  try  and  explain  themselves;  as 
if,  possessing  a  wisdom  of  their  own,  and  sesthetic  joy 
of  which  the  modern  world  knows  nothing,  they  are 
content  to  let  both  die  with  them  rather  than  attempt 
to  teach  them  to  men  of  a  wholly  different  outlook  upon 
life. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  Meldon  to  the  Major,  "  if 
that  was  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  himself.  He  has 
a  royal  look  about  him,  hasn't  he  ?  But  I  can't  say  much 
for  his  robes  of  state.  I  wonder  if  he'd  talk  to  us." 
He  approached  the  old  man.  "  Good-morning  to  you. 
Glorious  weather  we're  having.  Looks  as  if  it  meant 
to  hold  up  too." 

"  Ni  Beurla  agam  "  ("  I  have  no  English  "),  said  the 
old  man. 


62  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Come  now,"  said  Meldon  cheerfully,  "  you  needn't 
play  that  game  off  on  me.  I  can  understand  your  doing 
it  to  Higginbotham.  He's  a  Government  official,  and 
naturally  you  distrust  him ;  but  I'm  a  private  man,  I  don't 
want  to  turn  you  out  of  your  house,  and  I  won't  give 
you  away." 

"  Ni  Beurla  agam  air  bith.  Ni  aon  focal "  ("  I  have 
no  English  at  all,  not  one  word"),  said  the  old  man. 

Meldon  turned  to  the  five  children,  and  singled  out  a 
little  girl  who  stood  staring  open-mouthed  at  him. 

"  Molly  O'Flaherty,"  he  said,  "  come  here." 

The  children,  holding  on  to  each  other,  edged  away 
doubtfully. 

"Bridgy  O'Flaherty,"  said  Meldon,  "if  you're  not 
Molly  I  suppose  you're  sure  to  be  Bridgy.  Tell  me  what 
the  old  gentleman's  name  is." 

He  stepped  forward  suddenly  and  seized  the  child  by 
the  arm.  She  struggled  for  a  minute  and  then  began 
to  cry. 

"  There  now,"  said  Meldon,  soothingly,  "  don't  cry ; 
I'm  not  going  to  hurt  you.  Major,  give  me  a  penny. 
You  haven't  got  one?  Never  mind,  a  sixpence  will  do 
quite  as  well.  Here  now,  Nora  Acushla,  look  at  the 
pretty  silver  sixpence.  That's  for  you.  Stretch  out  your 
hand  and  take  it,  and  I'll  tell  your  mammy  what  a  good 
girl  you  are." 

The  child  seized  the  sixpence,  stopped  crying,  and 
looked  up  timidly  to  Meldon's  face. 
'  "That's   right,"   he  said,  patting  her  head.     "Now 
we're  friends  again.    Tell  me  now,  Nora — is  it  Nora 
they  call  you?" 

"  It  is  not,"  said  the  child.    "  It's  Mary  Kate." 

"  There  now.    I  might  have  guessed  it.     Sorra  a  pret- 


SPANISH  GOLD  63 

tier  name  there  is  in  the  whole  province  of  Connacht 
than  Mary  Kate,  nor  a  prettier  little  girl  than  your- 
self. I've  a  little  girl  of  my  own  away  in  Dublin,  and 
they  call  her  Gladys  Muriel,  but  I  declare  I  think  Mary 
Kate's  a  nicer  name.  Tell  me  now,  Mary  Kate,  is 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  the  name  they  have  on  the  old 
man  there?" 

"  It  might,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

"  Off  with  you  then,"  said  Meldon.  "  Have  you  got 
the  sixpence  safe?  Take  it  up  to  the  gentleman  that 
lives  in  the  new  iron  house,  the  gentleman  from  the 
Board — you  know  who  I  mean." 

Mary  Kate  grinned. 

"  Is  it  the  man  that  does  be  measuring  out  the 
land?" 

"  It  is,"  said  Meldon.  "  That  exact  man.  Do  you 
take  your  sixpence  up  to  him  and  ask  him  to  give  you 
the  worth  of  it  in  sugar  candy.  Don't  be  put  off  if  he 
tells  you  he  hasn't  got  any.  He  has  sacks  and  sacks 
of  it  stored  away  there  in  the  house,  and  he  does  be 
eating  it  himself  whenever  he  thinks,  there's  nobody 
looking  at  him." 

"  Do  we  go  round  the  north  or  the  south  side  of  the 
island,"  said  the  Major,  as  he  and  Meldon  left  the  pier, 
"  to  reach  this  treasure-cave  of  yours  ?  " 

"  The  scene  of  the  shipwreck,"  said  Meldon  severely, 
"  is  about  the  middle  of  the  west  coast.  We'd  get  to  it 
just  as  quick  one  way  as  the  other,  but  I  think  we'll  go 
by  the  north.  Higginbotham's  house  is  to  the  south  of 
us,  and  there  is  no  use  passing  his  door  oftener  than  we 
can  help;  especially  just  now  when  Mary  Kate  is  ap- 
proaching him  on  the  subject  of  sugar  candy." 

Walking  in  Inishgowlan  is  slow  work  because  there 


64  SPANISH  GOLD 

are  no  regular  roads,  and  because  the  whole  island 
is  laced  with  loose  stone  walls  which  have  to  be 
climbed.  These  are  built  not  so  much  to  separate  the 
fields  from  each  other,  as  with  a  view  to  collecting  into 
manageable  heaps  the  stones  of  which  the  walls  con- 
sist. Originally  the  stones  lay  scattered  over  the  grass; 
in  such  numbers  that  ploughing  and  even  digging 
were  difficult.  Here  and  there, 'where  it  is  evidently  im- 
possible to  pile  any  more  stones  on  the  walls  without 
making  them  dangerously  top-heavy,  cairns  have  been 
built  in  the  middle  of  the  fields  and  the  superfluous 
metal  got  rid  of  in  that  way.  This  superabundance  of 
stones  was  a  serious  trouble  to  Higginbotham.  He  had 
devised  a  plan  for  building  a  very  high  wall,  a  solid 
structure  with  mortar  in  its  joints,  along  the  western 
ridge  of  the  island.  He  represented  to  his  Board  that 
such  a  wall  would  form  a  splendid  shelter  for  the  whole 
island  from  the  westerly  gales  and  would  prevent  care- 
less sheep  from  falling  over  into  the  sea.  The  Board 
was  still  deliberating  on  the  scheme. 

Major  Kent  grumbled  a  good  deal  at  having  to  climb 
so  many  walls;  but  Meldon,  generally  a  field  in  front 
of  him,  encouraged  him  with  false  promises  of  easier 
walking  further  on.  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  followed 
them  at  a  distance.  Meldon  stopped  to  light  his  pipe, 
and  allowed  the  Major  to  overtake  him. 

"  I  rather  think,"  he  said  looking  back,  "  that  the  old 
chappie  in  the  ragged  clothes  is  tracking  us." 

"  Let  him,"  said  the  Major,  who  was  rather  out  of 
breath  and  disinclined  for  discussion.  "  He  can't  do  us 
any  harm." 

"  He  might  not,  but  all  the  same  I'd  like  to  know 
what  he  has  in  his  mind.  I  wish  now  that  I'd  brought 


SPANISH  GOLD  65 

Mary  Kate  along  with  me.  She'd  have  come  for  another 
sixpence,  I  expect." 

"  Another  of  my  sixpences." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  needn't  grumble.  What's  sixpence 
here  or  there  compared  to  the  pile  of  gold  that  we're 
going  to  take  home  with  us?  Think  of  it,  Major, 
great  fat  doubloons,  no  wretched  little  slips  of  coins 
like  our  modern  sovereigns,  but  thick,  round  chunks, 
weighing,  maybe,  as  much  as  an  ounce  or  an  ounce 
and  a  half  each,  solid  gold!  And  very  likely  there'll 
be  gems,  golden  goblets  with  precious  stones  stuck 
in  them.  Those  Spaniards  were  awful  dogs  for 
luxury." 

"  You  don't  really  expect  to  find  diamonds  and  emer- 
alds, do  you,  J.  J.?" 

"  Of  course  I  do.  What  else  have  I  come  for  if  it 
isn't  to  find  every  kind  of  treasure?  But  here  we  are, 
Major,  at  the  other  end  of  nowhere.  We've  got  to 
scramble  round  now." 

The  cliffs  on  the  western  coast  of  Inishgowlan  are  not 
very  lofty,  nor,  except  in  odd  places,  are  they  really 
precipitous.  Here  and  there  the  sea  at  high  tide  washes 
against  their  bases.  Elsewhere  there  are  long  shelves 
of  rock  which  are  never  more  than  half -covered  by  the 
waves,  and  wildernesses  of  huge  boulders,  worn  into  all 
sorts  of  fantastic  shapes,  among  which  on  calm  days  the 
sea  winds  itself  into  curiously  fascinating  pools  and  chan- 
nels, where  in  storms  there  is  a  welter  of  foam  and  spray 
and  angry  water. 

Meldon,  keeping  a  few  paces  in  front  of  the  Major, 
scrambled  along  with  the  greatest  activity.  He  scaled 
apparently  impossible  rocks,  and  seemed  actually  to 
enjoy  slipping  and  stumbling  among  the  pools.  After 


66  SPANISH  GOLD 

an  hour's  hard  work,  with  scratched  hands  and  a  large 
rent  in  the  knee  of  his  trousers,  he  reached  the  mouth 
of  a  little  bay.  There,  seated  on  a  large  stone  at  the 
bottom  of  the  cliff,  was  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat. 

A  few  hundred  yards  from  the  north  end  of  the  island 
there  is  a  break  in  the  line  of  cliffs.  A  narrow  path, 
very  steep  and  rough,  has  been  made  from  the  top  of 
the  ridge  to  the  beach  below.  It  is  used  during  the  kelp- 
burning  season  by  men  and  girls,  who  climb  down  it, 
gather  sea  wrack  among  the  rocks,  and  toilsomely  ascend 
again  with  dripping  creels  on  their  backs  and  soaked 
garments  flapping  round  their  legs.  Old  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat  had  used  this  path  as  a  short-cut,  and  in- 
tercepted the  men  he  was  following. 

Meldon  waited  for  the  Major,  who  was  some  distance 
behind. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  there's  that  old  gentleman, 
Higginbotham's  favourite  enemy,  waiting  for  us  again. 
Now,  what  on  earth  does  he  want  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  and  what's  more,  I  don't  care.  But 
I  see  the  path  he  came  by,  and  I  vote  we  take  it  as  the 
shortest  way  home.  I've  had  enough  of  this  ridiculous 
expedition." 

"  Nonsense,  Major.  You  can't  go  back  now.  We've 
hours  before  us  still.  But  we'll  recollect  that  path. 
It'll  save  us  going  the  whole  way  back  to  the  north  point 
of  the  island  when  we've  done.  I  wish  I  knew  what 
T.  O'Flaherty  Pat  supposes  he's  doing.  It's  perfectly 
ridiculous  not  being  able  to  get  him  to  talk.  I  can't 
imagine  why  he  keeps  up  the  pretence  of  not  knowing 
English  with  me." 

"  Perhaps  he  doesn't  know  any." 

"Rot!    Excuse  my  putting  it  plainly,  but  that's  sim- 


SPANISH  GOLD  67 

pie  rot.  Of  course  he  knows  English.  Everybody  must 
know  English." 

"  Well,  there's  no  use  standing  here  and  staring  at 
him.  We  shan't  find  out  anything  that  way.  Let's  go 
on  if  you're  bent  on  going." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  he  had  some 
kind  of  inkling  of  what  we're  after.  Your  great  aunt 
said  in  her  diary " 

"  My  grandfather.  I  never  had  a  great  aunt  that  I 
know  of." 

"  Well,  your  grandfather.  It's  all  the  same.  He  said 
anyhow  that  the  natives  here  knew  about  the  treasure 
in  this  day.  Now  that's  just  the  kind  of  information 
that  would  be  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  old 
T.  O.  P.  is  just  the  sort  of  man " 

"Who's  T.  O.  R?" 

"  T.  O.  P.  ?  Oh,  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  of  course. 
You  can't  expect  me  to  say  that  whole  name  over 
again  each  time.  Our  friend  Tommy  is  just  the  kind 
of  elderly  ass  who'd  be  sure  to  remember  the  story  even 
if  everybody  else  had  forgotten  it.  You  back  he's  gone 
treasure-hunting  on  his  own  every  fine  day  for  the  last 
fifty  years,  and  now  when  he  sees  we're  after  it  and 
going  about  the  job  in  a  jolly  sight  more  intelligent 
way  than  ever  he  did,  he  thinks  he's  nothing  to  do  but 
hang  on  to  us  till  we  find  it,  and  then  chip  in  and  claim 
a  share.  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Major.  It's  absolutely 
necessary  to  put  him  off  the  scent." 

"  How  will  you  do  that  when  you  can't  talk  to 
him?" 

"  Oh,  I'll  manage.  Mind  you,  he  can  understand 
every  word  we  say.  Come  along,  now.  I'm  going  to 
pretend  to  be  a  bug  hunter,  an  entomologist,  one  of 


68  SPANISH  GOLD 

the  fellows  who  look  for  marine  monsters  of  unusual 
kinds  in  little  pools.  I  wish  to  goodness  I'd  thought 
of  bringing  a  butterfly  net  with  me;  a  nice  green  but- 
terfly net  would  have  completed  the  disguise.  Come 
along,  Major.  Take  my  arm  and  try  and  look  affec- 
tionate. Put  on  the  sort  of  expression  you'd  wear  if 
we  were  scientific  pals  out  of  the  same  laboratory  in 
London.  Do  your  best  to  display  an  intelligent  interest 
in  what  I  say." 

Stumbling  among  the  stones,  but  walking  arm-in-arm, 
they  approached  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat. 

"  Major,"  whispered  Meldon,  "  do  you  happen  to  rec- 
ollect the  name  of  any  insect  ?  " 

"  The  flea,"  said  the  Major  promptly. 

"  The  scientific  name,"  said  Meldon.  "  What  good 
are  fleas?  He  knows  what  fleas  are  well  enough,  and 
is  probably  much  better  acquainted  with  their  habits 
than  we  are.  He  knows  that  we  wouldn't  come  here 
to  look  for  fleas.  Tell  me  a  scientific  name.  I  can't 
think  of  one  myself,  except  '  fritillary.'  Well  never 
mind.  If  you  can't,  you  can't.  Now,  listen." 

In  a  clear,  loud  voice,  calculated  to  carry  some  dis- 
tance, he  said — 

"  I  hope,  Professor,  that  our  long  journey  has  not  been 
in  vain;  I  hope,  I  trust,  not.  This  place,  the  rocks  and 
pools  beyond  us,  seems  to  me  a  likely  habitat  for  the 
'Athalonia  miserabilis,  the  marvellous  sea-beetle,  found 
nowhere  but  on  these  western  shores." 

He  cast  a  rapid  glance  at  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat. 
The  old  man  appeared  wholly  unimpressed,  and  sat 
gazing  with  wide,  dreamy  eyes  past  the  strangers 
straight  out  to  sea.  But  Meldon  was  not  the  man 
to  be  baffled  by  any  affectation  of  indifference  and 


SPANISH  GOLD;  69 

inattention.  Convinced  that  the  old  man  understood 
English,  and  was  keenly  interested  in  what  he  heard, 
he  took  the  Major  slowly  across  the  beach,  climbed  a 
neighbouring  ledge  of  rock,  and  stooped  down  as  if  to 
make  a  minute  examination  of  a  weedy  pool.  Look- 
ing up,  he  was  gratified  to  see  the  eyes  of  Thomas 
O 'Flaherty  Pat  fixed  on  him. 

"  I  thought  I'd  rouse  him,"  he  said  to  the  Major. 
"  Now  I'll  make  him  quite  sure  that  I'm  after  nothing 
more  thrilling  than  the  corpse  of  an  Athalonia 
miserabilis." 

With  every  appearance  of  intense  excitement,  Meldon 
dropped  on  his  knees  beside  the  pool.  He  took  off  his1 
coat  and  rolled  up  one  of  his  shirt  sleeves;  he  lay  flat 
on  his  stomach ;  he  plunged  his  bare  arm  deep  into  the 
water.  Then  he  rose  and  looked  round  to  see  how 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  was  taking  the  performance. 
The  old  man  had  left  the  stone  on  which  he  sat,  and  was 
approaching  the  pool. 

"  I  thought  I'd  draw  him,"  said  Meldon. 

After  examining  minutely  some  shreds  of  green 
seaweed  which  he  had  dredged  from  the  depths  of  the 
pool,  he  plunged  his  arm  in  again.  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat  came  quite  close,  looked  at  the  curate  with  an  ex- 
pression of  some  wonder,  and  passed  on.  Reaching  the 
edge  of  the  sea,  he,  too,  lay  flat  down,  bared  his  arm 
and  plunged  it  into  the  water.  Meldon,  rising  to  his 
knees,  looked  at  him. 

"  What's  the  old  boy  at  now  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Looks  very  much,"  said  the  Major,  "  as  if  he  was 
trying  to  catch  a  Paphlagonia  What's-its-name,  too." 

"Athalonia  miserabilis"  said  Meldon.  "Do  try  to 
get  things  right,  Major.  You  set  up  to  be  a  tidy  man 


70  SPANISH  GOLD 

and  take  it  on  yourself  to  lecture  me  every  now  and 
then  for  getting  things  into  wrong  places,  but  you're  the 
most  untidy  person  I  ever  met  in  conversation.  You 
never  get  a  name  right." 

"  Well,  Athalonia  whatever  you  like.  Anyhow,  he's 
trying  to  catch  one." 

"  He  can't  be,  can't  possibly  be.  There's  no  such 
creature,  so  far  as  I  know." 

"  Well,  he's  catching  something,  and  what's  more  he's 
caught  it  and  he's  bringing  it  over  to  you." 

Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  came  towards  them,  and  cer- 
tainly carried  booty  of  some  sort  in  his  hand.  With  a 
dignified  and  gracious  bow,  he  presented  Meldon  with' 
a  large  red  crab. 

"  Good  Lord !  "  said  Major  Kent. 

The  curate  took  the  creature  carefully,  and  bowed 
politely  in  return. 

"  Thanks  awfully,"  he  said.  "  I  mean  to  say,  of  course, 
merci  beaucoup." 

"  Ni  Beurla  agam,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  Oh,  never  mind  about  the  Beurla.  What  I  want 
you  to  know  is  this,  I'm  greatly  obliged  to  you  for 
the  crab.  So's  the  professor  here.  We  weren't  exactly 
looking  for  crabs.  We  were  looking  for  an  Athalonia 
miserabilis,  but  we're  just  as  much  pleased  as  if  you 
brought  us  one.  The  fact  is  we're  both  passionately 
fond  of  crab,  dressed  with  breadcrumbs  and  pepper,  you 
know.  And  in  London,  where  we  come  from,  the  chief 
city  of  the  Sassenach — you  know  the  place  I  mean — 
crabs  are  too  expensive  for  poor  men  like  us  to  buy. 
You  can't  pick  them  up  there  the  way  you  do  here. 
You'd  hardly  believe  the  price  a  fishmonger  would  charge 
for  a  crab  like  this." 


SPANISH  GOLD  71 

Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  shook  his  head  solemnly. 

"  Ni  Beurla  agam  air  bith,"  he  said. 

"  All  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  Goodbye  for  the  present. 
So  long,  old  boy.  We  oughtn't  to  be  taking  up  your 
valuable  time.  I  really  believe  he  doesn't  know  a  word 
I'm  saying.  Look  here " 

He  seized  the  old  man's  hand  and  shook  it  heartily. 

"  Ceud  mile  f  ailte — there,  that's  all  the  Irish  I  know, 
and  if  that  doesn't  send  you  off  home  I  can  do  no 
more." 

This  hearty  welcome  produced  the  effect  intended. 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  after  a  courteous  salutation 
turned  and  climbed  slowly  up  the  path  which  led  to  the 
top  of  the  cliff. 

"  I  hope,"  said  the  Major,  "  that  that  will  be  a  lesson 
to  you,  J.  J." 

"A  lesson  about  what?" 

"  About  telling  lies.  You  see  the  trouble  they  get  you 
into." 

"  I  see  nothing  of  the  sort.  My  lies,  as  you  call 
them,  got  rid  of  that  troublesome  old  fool,  who  might 
have  gone  on  following  us  all  day.  Also  they  secured 
us  this  excellent  crab,  which  I  shall  cook  for  supper 
to-night.  And  anyhow,  they  aren't  lies.  They  are 
what  is  called  diplomacy,  and  that's  an  art 
practised  by  the  most  honourable  men — lords,  and 
marquises,  and  kings,  and  people  of  that  kind.  Do 
you  suppose  that  the  Prime  Minister,  when  he  thinks 
he'll  have  to  go  to  war  with  Germany,  tells  the  literal 
truth?  Does  he  go  and  ask  to  have  the  first  battle 
put  off  for  a  week  because  he's  short  of  cartridges? 
Of  course  he  doesn't.  He  gives  the  Germans  to  under- 
stand that  England  is  chock  full  of  cartridges  of  all 


72  SPANISH  GOLD 

sizes.  The  fewer  he  really  has  the  more  he  says  he 
has.  That's  diplomacy,  and  it's  reckoned  to  be  a  very 
noble  line  of  life.  Well,  the  principle  applies  to 
treasure-seeking  just  as  much  as  to  international 
politics.  No  treasure  would  ever  have  been  found 
if  the  people  who  were  on  the  track  of  it  went  telling 
all  they  knew  to  every  chance  acquaintance.  They 
simply  have  to  put  the  general  public — people  like 
Higginbotham  and  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat — off  the 
scent,  and  there's  no  way  of  doing  that  except  the 
one.  Besides,  it  wouldn't  be  the  slightest  use  telling 
the  literal  truth.  People  wouldn't  believe  you. 
Suppose  I  went  up  to  Higginbotham  and  said  that 
you  and  I  were  here  on  a  treasure  hunt.  Do  you 
think  he'd  believe  it?  Not  he.  He'd  laugh.  He 
hasn't  got  enough  imagination  to  believe  the  truth 
if  you  hung  it  up  before  him.  His  mind  isn't  fit 
for  it.  If  you  knew  any  theology,  Major,  you'd 
understand  that  economy,  as  it's  called,  consists  of 
dealing  out  to  the  average  man  just  the  amount  of 
truth  he's  fit  to  receive,  and  no  more.  The  Church 
has  always  gone  on  that  principle,  and  I'm  acting  in 
the  same  way  towards  Higginbotham  and  Thomas 
O'Flaherty." 


CHAPTER  VII 

MELDON,  encouraging  the  reluctant  Major  by 
example  and  exhortation,  continued  to  scramble 
southwards  along  the  base  of  the  cliffs.  It  grew  very 
hot.  Now  and  then  Major  Kent  sat  down,  mopped  his 
face,  and  declared  that  he  would  go  no  further.  On 
such  occasions  Meldon  lit  his  pipe  and  argued  with  his 
friend.  It  always  ended  in  the  Major  going  on,  slip- 
ping, staggering,  clutching.  At  last  he  sat  down  with  an 
air  of  great  determination. 

"  J.  J.,"  he  said,  "  the  tide  has  turned.  I'm  going 
back.  We've  passed  some  nasty  corners,  places  we 
couldn't  get  round  at  half-tide.  I've  no  fancy  for  being 
drowned.  You  know  I  can't  swim." 

"All  right,"  said  Meldon,  "trust  me.  I'll  pull  you 
through." 

"If  you  mean  that  you  propose  to  save  my  life  in  a 
heroic  manner  and  get  credit  and  perhaps  medals  for 
it  afterwards,  I  tell  you  plainly  that  I  don't  mean  to  give 
you  the  chance.  I'm  going  home  the  way  I  came,  partly 
on  my  two  feet,  partly  on  my  hands  and  knees.  I'm 
not  going  to  be  towed  about  the  sea  to  gratify  your 
vanity." 

"  The  place  I'm  going  to  is  just  ahead  of  us'.  It's 
the  very  next  promontory.  We've  time  enough  to  get 

73 


74  SPANISH  GOLD 

round  it.  You'll  be  sorry,  Major,  if  you  go  back 
now." 

The  Major  rose  with  a  sigh,  and  followed  Meldon  to 
a  headland  which  jutted  further  out  into  the  sea  than 
any  they  had  passed.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get  round 
it.  The  sea  washed  almost  against  the  base  of  the  pre- 
cipitous rocks.  There  was  no  more  than  a  narrow 
ledge,  three  or  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water, 
along  which  it  was  possible  to  walk;  and  even  there 
it  was  necessary  to  press  close  to  the  side  of  the  cliff. 
Once  round  the  point,  a  long,  narrow  inlet  opened  be- 
fore them.  It  was,  even  at  the  entrance,  not  more 
than  thirty  feet  across,  and  it  narrowed  as  it  reached 
inland.  On  the  south  side  of  the  channel  the  rocks 
rose  sheer  out  of  the  water  to  a  height  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet.  Above  them  was  a  steep  slope  of  short, 
wiry  grass.  On  the  north  side,  where  Meldon  and  the 
Major  stood,  the  cliff  rose  less  precipitously,  and  it 
was  possible  to  scramble  along  for  a  short  distance. 
The  tide  was  almost  at  dead  ebb,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  channel  the  water  lapped  on  a  tiny  beach, 
surrounded  closely  on  three  sides  by  cliffs.  At  the 
shoreward  end  of  the  beach,  a  few  feet  from  the 
water,  was  a  small  hole,  hardly  to  be  dignified  by 
the  name  of  cave.  It  was  evident  that  when  the 
tide  rose  a  little  the  water  would  reach  the  hole,  and 
that  at  half -tide  the  entrance  to  it  would  be  entirely 
covered. 

Meldon  gazed  down  the  channel  and  saw  the  hole 
in  the  cliff.  His  face  wore  a  look  of  intense  satisfac- 
tion. Major  Kent  also  seemed  pleased.  He  gave  a  sigh 
expressive  of  relief. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  we're  stuck  and  we  can't  go  any 


SPANISH  GOLD  75 

further.  We've  reached  the  last  rock  on  which  it  is 
possible  to  climb,  and  I  can  neither  swim  nor  fly.  Sup- 
pose we  start  to  go  back  ?  " 

Meldon  sat  down  and  began  to  take  off  his  boots. 

"  This,"  he  said,  "  is  the  scene  of  the  shipwreck,  and 
in  that  hole  the  Spanish  captain  concealed  his  treasure. 
Reconstruct  the  scene  for  yourself,  Major.  The  gal- 
leon, partially  disabled  by  the  loss  of  one  or  more  of  her 
masts,  conies  driving  down  on  the  island  before  a  nor'- 
westerly  gale.  I  gave  you  my  reasons  for  saying  the 
wind  was  nor'-west,  so  we  needn't  go  into  that  again. 
Where  does  she  strike  ?  On  the  point  we've  just  passed. 
It's  the  furthest  sticking-out  point  there  is,  so  of  course 
she  struck  on  it.  You  follow  me  so  far?  What  hap- 
pens next  ?  " 

Meldon,  having  got  rid  of  his  boots  and  socks,  stood 
up  while  he  took  off  his  coat  and  waistcoat. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  said  the  Major. 

"  Swim  to  the  end  of  the  channel,  of  course,  and  see 
what's  inside  that  hole.  You  can  stay  here  and  mind 
my  clothes.  But  to  go  on  where  you  interrupted  me. 
Where  was  I?  Oh  yes.  The  galleon  had  just  struck  on 
the  point.  What  happens  next?  A  great  sea  lifts  her 
stern  and  slews  it  round.  Her  bow  slips  off  the  ledge 
of  rock  over  which  we  walked — it  would  be  about  half- 
tide  when  the  thing  happened — and  the  galleon  drifts 
stern  foremost  into  this  channel  and  sticks  fast  just 
where  we're  standing  now.  You  follow  me  all  right, 
don't  you?" 

"  It's  very  interesting,"  said  the  Major,  "  but  I  don't 
suppose  for  a  moment  it's  true." 

"  Of  course  it's  true.  It's  what  must  have  happened. 
Don't  you  see  that  under  the  circumstances  nothing 


;6  SPANISH  GOLD 

else  could  happen?  Tell  me  this,  now — if  a  wave, 
with  a  nor'-west  wind,  lifted  the  stern  of  the  galleon 
round  in  the  way  I  have  described,  what  could  the  old 
hooker  do  but  go  stern  first  along  this  channel  until  she 
stuck?" 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say  that's  right  enough,  but  there's  such 
a  lot  went  before  that." 

"  Have  you  any  other  hypothesis  which  meets  the 
facts  of  the  case  better?  No.  Very  well,  then,  accept 
mine.  That's  the  way  all  scientific  advance  is  made. 
Some  Johnny  with  brains  produces  a  hypothesis.  Every- 
body calls  him  a  rotter  at  first.  But  he  remains  calm 
in  the  face  of  opprobrium." 

"  I'm  the  opprobrium,  I  suppose,"  said  the  Major. 

"  Well,  in  this  case  you  represent  the  opprobrient. 
But  to  go  on.  What  does  the  scientific  Johnny  do 
next?" 

"  You  needn't  go  on." 

"  Oh,  but  I  will.  I  read  the  whole  thing  up  at  col- 
lege in  Mill's  Logic  when  I  was  thinking  of  going  in 
for  honours.  I  was  young  then.  The  scientific  Johnny 
says,  '  Take  my  hypothesis.  If  it  doesn't  account  for 
the  facts  give  it  the  chuck  out;  but  if  does,  then  stop 
scoffing  and  get  ready  a  statue  to  erect  in  my  honour.' 
Now,  what  I  say  is  this,  Does  my  hypothesis  cover 
the  facts?  There  now,  you've  kicked  one  of  my  socks 
into  a  pool.  I  do  wish  you  wouldn't  fidget  in  a  place 
like  this.  There  isn't  room  for  a  display  of  tem- 
per." 

Meldon  got  his  shirt  off  and  stood  poised  on  the  edge 
of  the  rock  for  his  plunge.  "  I'll  finish  explaining  what 
happened  when  I  get  back,"  he  said.  "  I  won't  be  long. 
Hallo!  Who's  that?  Oh,  Great  Scott!" 


SPANISH  GOLD  77 

He  pointed  with  his  finger  to  the  top  of  the  grassy 
slope  which  crowned  the  cliff  opposite  him.  The  Major 
looked  upwards  and  saw,  seated  above  the  hole, 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  The  old  man,  his  hair  and 
beard  blown  in  picturesque  wisps,  by  the  sea-breeze, 
was  watching  Meldon  with  a  calm,  disinterested 
gaze. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now  ? "  asked  the 
Major. 

"  I'm  going  home  again  for  to-day,"  said  Meldon, 
clutching  at  his  shirt.  "  I'm  not  going  on  with  that  old 
boy  watching  me.  I  tell  you  he  knows  what  we  are 
after.  He  can't  have  believed  that  story  about  the 
Athalonia  miserabilis.  What  horrid  sceptics  these  un- 
sophisticated-looking people  are  in  their  hearts ! " 

"  He'd  have  been  a  precious  ass  if  he  had  believed 
it.  You  give  nobody  credit  for  any  intelligence,  J.  J. 
You  invent  stories  which  wouldn't  deceive  a  babe 
in  arms,  and  then  expect  people  to  be  taken  in  by 
them." 

"  Well,"  said  Meldon,  "  Higginbotham  believed  much 
taller  stories  than  that  one." 

"  I  knew  you  were  going  too  far  with  that  sea-insect 
of  yours.  Why  couldn't  you  have  invented  something 
more  likely  if  you  had  to  invent  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  if  we're  going  to  enter  upon  a  course  of 
mutual  recrimination,  why  couldn't  you  have  refrained 
from  kicking  my  sock  into  a  pool  ?  " 

Meldon  was  pulling  his  boot  over  the  damp  garment, 
and  spoke  feelingly. 

"  But  never  mind,  Major,  I'm  not  by  any  means  at  the 
end  of  my  tether  yet.  To-morrow  we'll  come  back  here 
at  low  tide  and  I'll  swim  to  the  hole  then." 


£8  SPANISH  GOLD 

"What  about  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat?  He'll  follow 
us  again." 

"  Oh  no,  he  won't.     I'll  manage  him." 

"How?" 

"  That'll  be  all  right,  Major.  You  leave  it  to  me.  If 
I  say  I'll  manage  him,  you  may  take  it  as  a  fixed  thing 
that  he'll  be  managed.  I  can't  tell  you  just  this  mo- 
ment how  I'm  going  to  do  it.  I  shall  have  to  think  the 
matter  out  by  myself.  But  you  may  feel  perfectly  cer- 
tain that  it'll  be  all  right.  I've  not  done  badly  so  far, 
have  I ?  " 

"  In  the  matter  of  lies,"  said  the  Major,  "  you've  shown 
an  inventive  power  which  has  surprised  me." 

"  Don't  call  them  lies ;  call  them  disguises.  Nine  fel- 
lows out  of  every  ten  who  go  out  treasure-seeking  have 
to  adopt  some  sort  of  disguise,  and  it's  always  considered 
quite  right.  Now,  what's  the  difference,  the  moral  dif- 
ference, between  a  detective " 

"  We're  not  detectives." 

"  The  principle  is  exactly  the  same — between  the  de- 
tective getting  himself  up  as  a  dock  labourer  in  order 
to  deceive  the  wily  criminal,  and  our  saying  that  we're 
bug  hunters  in  order  to  put  old  T.  O.  P.  off  the  scent? 
There's  no  earthly  difference  that  I  can  see;  so  there's 
no  use  being  offensive  and  talking  about  lies.  Come  on, 
now.  I'm  dressed,  and  we  ought  to  be  getting  back 
before  the  tide  rises." 

"  I  said  so  an  hour  ago." 

"  Apart  altogether  from  the  disguises  that  we've  been 
compelled  to  adopt,"  said  Meldon,  when  they  had  scram- 
bled round  the  point  and  conversation  became  possible 
again,  "  I  maintain  that  I've  done  pretty  well  so 
far." 


SPANISH  GOLD  79 

"  I  don't  see  that  you've  done  anything  except  cut  a 
hole  in  the  knee  of  your  best  trousers." 

"  They're  not  my  best ;  they're  the  oldest  pair  I  have. 
I  bought  them  two  years  before  I  was  ordained.  That's 
how  they  come  to  be  the  colour  they  are." 

Mr.  Meldon  meant  that  the  date  of  their  purchase  ex- 
plained their  having  once  been  light  grey.  It  also  ex- 
plained the  fact  that  they  were  now  considerably  faded 
and  mottled  with  a  fine  variety  of  stains. 

"  But  leaving  my  trousers  out  of  the  question,"  he 
went  on,  "  I  think  I've  done  a  good  deal.  I've  located 
to  a  certainty  the  exact  scene  of  the  wreck;  I've  recon- 
structed the  catastrophe  precisely  as  it  happened,  and 
I'm  practically  sure  I  know  where  the  treasure  was  hid- 
den." 

"  Oh,  you're  sure  of  that,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Practically  sure,  is  what  I  said.  I  don't  set  up  to 
be  infallible.  The  best  men  may  make  mistakes. 
Listen  to  me,  now,  till  I  explain.  The  galleon  is  lying 
jammed  in  that  channel.  The  water  is,  of  course,  com- 
paratively calm  there  on  account  of  the  shelter  of  the 
headland.  The  Spanish  captain,  not  being  a  fool — 
we  agreed  from  the  first,  you  remember,  that  the 
Spanish  captain  wasn't  an  absolute  fool — sees  that 
there  is  no  immediate  danger  of  the  galleon  breaking 
up.  These  Spanish  galleons  were  all  pretty  tough. 
You  remember  the  one  that  came  ashore  on  Robinson 
Crusoe's  island.  It  was  pretty  tough,  and  so  was  our 
one.  Well,  what  does  the  Spanish  captain  do?  He 
lowers  his  one  remaining  boat  over  the  stern  of  the 
galleon  and  ferries  his  treasure  into  the  mouth  of  the 
hole  in  the  cliff.  Then  he  drags  it  inland  as  far  as  the 
hole  goes,  maybe  twenty  yards  or  so.  Afterwards  he 


80  SPANISH  GOLD 

and  the  survivors  of  the  crew  landed  just  where  we  were 
standing,  scrambled  round  the  rocks — by  that  time  it 
would  be  dead  low  water — very  likely  go  up  the  same 
path  that  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  came  down  to  meet 
us.  Now  what  do  you  say  to  that?  " 

"  I  don't  say  anything,"  said  the  Major. 

'"  No,  you  don't.  You  save  yourself  up  so  as  to  say, 
'  I  told  you  so/  in  case  there  happens  to  be  any  trifling 
miscalculation.  Or  if,  as  is  far  more  likely,  I  turn  out 
to  be  perfectly  right,  then  you're  in  a  position  to  pretend 
you  agreed  with  me  all  along.  But  it's  waste  of  breath 
talking  to  you." 

"  It  is,"  said  the  Major. 

"  I'm  glad  you  agree  with  me  there,  anyhow.  Here's 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  path.  Let's  go  up  it  and  get 
back  to  the  Spindrift.  I'm  as  hungry  as  a  wolf.  That's 
the  worst  of  breakfasting  so  early.  By  the  way,  where's 
the  crab?" 

"What  crab?" 

"  The  large  red  crab  that  old  Tommy  Pat  caught  and 
gave  to  me.  Major,  have  you  left  it  behind?" 

"  I  never  had  it.  If  anybody's  left  it  behind  it  was 
you.  You  were  carrying  it." 

"  But  I  told  you  to  mind  it  while  I  swam  up  the 
channel." 

"You  did  not" 

"  Well,  I  meant  to,  and  anyway  you  ought  to  have 
known.  How  was  I  to  go  swimming  with  a  large  crab 
in  my  hand?  Of  course  you  ought  to  have  minded 
it." 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  the  Major. 

"  Oh,  well,  it  doesn't  much  matter.  I  don't  so  much 
care  about  the  crab  itself.  I  dare  say  we  shouldn't  have 


SPANISH  GOLD  8l 

been  able  to  cook  it  properly  even  if  we  had  it.  What 
I'm  thinking  of  is  poor  old  T.  O.  P.'s  feelings.  I'm 
afraid  he'll  be  hurt  if  he  sees  us  coming  back  without 
his  crab." 

"  I  shouldn't  fret  about  that  if  I  were  you." 

"Oh,  but  I  do.  It's  not  altogether  Patsy  Tom 
O'Flaherty's  feelings  that  I  mind.  But  on  these  occa- 
sions you  ought  always  to  try  to  win  the  good-will  and 
confidence  of  the  natives." 

"You  go  a  queer  way  about  it,  then,  if  that's  what 
you  want." 

"  Any  book  of  travel,"  said  Meldon,  ignoring  the  Ma- 
jor's last  remark,  "  will  tell  you  that  the  really  important 
thing  is  to  get  the  natives  to  trust  you  thoroughly  from 
the  start." 

"  That's  why  you  told  that  yarn  about  the  sea  insect, 
I  suppose  ? " 

"  Look  here,  Major,  what's  the  good  of  rubbing  it  in 
about  the  Athalonia  miserabilisf  I've  owned  up  that 
that  was  a  slip.  I  can't  do  more,  can  I?  I  don't  keep 
harping  on  to  you  about  the  way  you  put  my  sock  into 
the  pool  and  forgot  the  crab,  and  those  are  a  jolly  sight 
worse  things  than  any  I've  done." 

"  I  wouldn't  care  much,"  said  the  Major,  as  they 
neared  the  top  of  the  steep  and  slippery  pathway,  "to 
be  climbing  up  this  five  or  six  times  a  day  with  a  creel 
of  seaweed  on  my  back." 

"  No  more  would  I,"  said  the  curate.  "  Seaweed's 
poor  stuff,  but  I  wouldn't  mind  doing  it  that  number 
of  times  and  more  with  a  parcel  of  doubloons  slung 
over  my  shoulder;  gold,  Major,  good  solid  gold. 
It's  this  way  that  we'll  have  to  bring  it  up  from  that 
hole.  I've  been  reckoning  out  how  many  journeys 


82  SPANISH  GOLD 

we'll    have    to    make    with    it.     Supposing,    now,    that 
there's " 

"  Do  shut  up,  J.  J. !  What  on  earth's  the  use  of  talk- 
ing like  that?  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  there's 
not  the  smallest  likelihood  of  our  getting  any  gold  out 
of  your  hole." 

"Oh,  I'll  shut  up  if  you  like.  But  I'll  just  say 
this:  it's  a  good  job  for  you,  Major,  that  you  have  a 
man  with  you  who  has  a  little  foresight,  who  figures 
things  out  beforehand  and  lays  his  plans  in  advance. 
[You'd  be  particularly  helpless  if  you  were  left  to  your- 
self." 

They  reached  the  top  of  the  cliff.  In  front  of  them 
lay  the  long,  green  slope  of  the  island,  a  patchwork  of 
ridiculous  little  fields  seamed  with  an  intolerable 
complexity  of  grey  stone  walls.  Below,  near  the 
further  sea,  were  the  cabins  of  the  people,  little  white- 
washed buildings,  thatched  with  half-rotten  straw. 
On  the  roofs  of  many  of  them  long  grass  grew.  From 
a  chimney  here  and  there  a  thin  column  of  smoke  was 
blown  eastwards  and  vanished  in  the  clear  air  a  few 
yards  from  the  hole  from  which  it  emerged.  Gaunt 
cattle,  dejected  creatures,  stood  here  and  there  idle, 
as  if  the  task  of  seeking  for  grass  long  enough  to  lick 
up  had  grown  too  hard  for  them.  In  the  muddy 
bohireens  long,  lean  sows,  creatures  more  like  hounds 
of  some  grotesque,  antique  breed  than  modern  domestic 
swine,  roamed  and  rooted.  Now  and  then  a  woman 
emerged  from  a  door  with  a  pot  or  dish  in  her  hands, 
and  fowls,  fearfully  excited,  gathered  from  the  dung- 
heaps  to  her  petticoats.  Men,  leaning  heavily  on  their 
loys,  or  digging  sullenly  and  slowly,  were  casting  earth 
upon  the  wide  potato  ridges.  Apart  from  the  other 


SPANISH  GOLD  83 

habitations  stood  Higginbotham's  egregious  iron  hut; 
the  very  type  of  a  hideous,  utilitarian,  utterly  self-suffi- 
cient civilisation  thrust  in  upon  a  picturesque  dilapida- 
tion. It  gave  to  the  island  an  air  of  half-comic  vulgarity, 
much  such  an  air  as  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  might  have 
worn  if  some  one  had  added  to  his  customary  garments 
a  new  silk  hat.  Beyond  all  lay  the  bay,  round  which  the 
island  folded  its  arms,  a  sheet  of  glancing,  glittering 
water  with  darker  sea  behind  it,  and  far  away  the  dim 
outline  of  the  mainland  coast. 

The  Spindrift  lay  at  her  moorings,  and  beyond  her 
another  boat,  cutter  rigged  also,  which  had  just  dropped 
anchor.  Her  jib  was  stowed;  her  mainsail  shook  in  the 
breeze.  Two  men  were  to  be  seen  casting  loose  the  hal- 
yards. Soon  the  sail  was  down,  and  the  men  were 
gathering  the  folds  of  it  in  their  hands  and  lashing  the 
gaff  to  the  boom.  Major  Kent  and  Meldon  stared  at 
the  boat  in  surprise.  For  a  time  neither  of  them  spoke. 
Then,  taking  his  companion  by  the  arm,  the  Major 
said — 

"What  boat's  that?" 

"  She  looks  to  me,"  said  Meldon,  "  uncommonly  like 
my  old  Aureole." 

"  I  just  thought  she  did.     Now  what  brings  her  here?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Look  here,  J.  J.,  you  go  in  for  being  clever ;  you've 
been  swaggering  all  day  about  the  way  you  understand 
everything  and  get  the  hang  of  whatever  happens,  even 
if  it's  two  hundred  years  ago;  just  set  your  great  mind 
to  work  on  that  boat  and  tell  me  what  she's  doing  out 
there." 

Stirred  by  the  taunt,  Meldon  spoke  with  some  appear- 
ance of  recovering  self-confidence. 


84  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  It's  the  Aureole  right  enough.  I  hired  her  to  a 
man  in  a  mangy  fur  coat,  who  said  he  didn't  know 
anything  about  boats  but  had  a  friend  who  did.  Now 
I'll  tell  you  this,  Major,  to  start  with.  Either  that 
friend  knows  nothing  about  boats  either,  or  else  he  has 
some  pretty  strong  reason  for  wishing  to  get  to  this 
island.  Nobody  but  a  fool,  or  a  man  who  was  prepared 
to  take  big  risks,  would  have  ventured  out  here  in  her. 
Why,  every  rope  in  her  rigging  is  as  rotten  as  a  bad 
banana.  If  there'd  come  on  the  least  bit  of  a  blow 
that  fellow  in  the  fur  coat  and  the  other  play  boy,  who- 
ever he  is,  would  have  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  briny 
sea." 

"  Well,  they're  not,"  said  the  Major,  "  so  their  deaths 
are  not  on  your  conscience." 

"  They  wouldn't  have  been  in  any  case,"  said 
Meldon.  "  I  never  thought  they'd  go  outside  Moy 
Bay,  or  I  wouldn't  have  hired  the  boat  to  them.  Who'd 
expect  a  seedy  individual  in  a  fur  coat,  a  fellow  that 
looked  sodden  with  drink,  to  take  a  boat  out  on  to  the 
broad  Atlantic?  At  the  same  time  the  other  fellow 
can't  be  altogether  a  fool.  He  must  know  something 
about  sailing,  otherwise  he  wouldn't  have  fetched 
up  here  at  all.  Now,  what  on  earth  brings  him  out 
here?" 

"  Maybe  he's  a  tourist  looking  out  for  scenery." 

"  He  is  not,  then.  There  isn't  any  scenery  here,  not 
what  tourists  call  scenery.  And  there's  not  a  guide- 
book in  the  world  that  so  much  as  mentions  Inishgowlan. 
The  place  isn't  even  marked  on  most  maps.  Whatever 
else  he  is,  he's  not  a  tourist." 

"  He  might  be  a  journalist." 

"  He  might,"  said  Meldon.    "  And  yet  I  don't  think 


SPANISH  GOLD  85 

he  is.  It's  quite  true  that  a  journalist  might  come  to 
see  Higginbotham.  Higginbotham  is  the  sort  of  man 
a  journalist  would  fasten  on  at  once.  A  really  smart 
man  at  his  trade  would  scent  Higginbotham  from  miles 
and  miles  away,  and  would  track  him  over  land  and 
sea.  Higginbotham  would  talk  all  day  long  if  he  got  any 
encouragement.  He'd  pour  out  just  the  sort  of  senti- 
mental rot  about  improving  the  conditions  of  tlje  peo- 
ple's life  that  the  plump,  kind-hearted  Englishman  loves 
to  read.  There's  a  good  deal  to  be  said  for  that  jour- 
nalist hypothesis  of  yours,  Major,  but  there  are  serious 
objections  to  it  too." 

Major  Kent  did  not  answer;  he  was  not  really  much 
interested  in  the  strangers.  Meldon  went  on — 

"  In  the  first  place,  if  he  was  a  journalist,  or  if  he 
was  any  kind  of  inspector,  the  Congested  Districts 
Board  would  bring  him  round  in  their  own  steamer. 
They  always  take  care  to  do  a  journalist  middling  well 
when  they  catch  him,  and  they  keep  their  eye  on  him. 
They  don't  let  him  off  by  himself  in  a  boat  to  pry  into 
all  sorts  of  things  which  he  has  no  business  to  see. 
That's  one  objection.  The  second  is  this:  if  he  is  a 
journalist,  who  is  the  other  chappie,  the  one  in  the  fur 
coat?  Journalists  never  go  about  in  couples.  It 
would  ruin  their  business  if  they  did.  No,  on  the 
whole  I  think  we  may  decide  that  he's  not  a  journalist. 
There's  only  one  other  thing  he  can  be — a  Member  of 
Parliament,  one  of  the  conscientious,  inquiring  kind,  who 
wants  to  look  into  the  condition  of  Ireland  for  him- 
self before  he  commits  himself  to  an  opinion  on  Home 
Rule." 

"  I  hope,"  said  the  Major  anxiously,  "  that  his 
coming  won't  make  it  necessary  for  you  to  tell 


86  SPANISH  GOLD 

any  more — I  mean  to  say  to  adopt  any  more  dis- 
guises." 

"  I  expect  I  shall  have  to." 

"  Well  now,  J.  J.,  like  a  good  fellow,  draw  it  mild 
this  time.  Remember,  if  he's  a  Member  of  Parliament 
he'll  see  through  the  ordinary  disguise  at  once." 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Meldon  gloomily.  "  If  he's  an 
M.P.  he's  sure  to  have  made  inquiries  about  our  educa- 
tional system  and  he'll  never  believe  that  story  about  the 
National  Board  wanting  to  build  a  school." 

"  He  certainly  won't  believe  about  my  geological  sur- 
vey." 

"  You  mean  on  account  of  the  pliocene  clay  ?  I  don't 
expect  he  knows  much  about  clay — not  enough  to  make 
him  sceptical,  anyhow." 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  "of  the  pliocene  clay.  What  I  had 
in  my  mind  was  the  inherent  absurdity  of  the  whole 
story." 

"  I  don't  see  that  at  all,"  said  Meldon.  "  On  the  con- 
trary, I'm  inclined  to  think  that  he  will  believe  that 
story.  Anyhow,  he'll  ask  a  question  in  the  House  of 
Commons  about  it." 

"  I  hope  to  God  he  won't !  I  should  look  a  nice  fool 
if  that  story  ever  got  into  the  papers." 

"  You'd  do  worse  than  look  a  fool.  You'd  probably 
be  called  to  the  bar  of  the  House,  or  be  sent  to  jail  for 
contempt  of  the  Chief  Secretary.  I'll  tell  you  what  it 
is,  Major,  if  that  M.P.  gets  hold  of  the  story  you'd  bet- 
ter sail  straight  to  America." 

"  But  it's  not  my  story,  it's  yours." 

"  It's  you  they'd  prosecute,  though.  That's  the  beauty 
of  Ireland.  The  clergy  are  perfectly  safe.  Even  the 
Chief  Secretary  daren't  proceed  against  me;  but  he 


SPANISH  GOLD  87 

would  against  you,  like  a  shot.  He  might  set  a  Royal 
Commission  on  you." 

"  Don't  be  an  ass,  J.  J." 

"  I'm  not  being  an  ass.  I'm  looking  facts  straight 
in  the  face  and  drawing  conclusions.  It's  my  opinion 
that  if  that  man  in  my  boat  turns  out  to  be  a  Member 
of  Parliament — I  say  if — we  shall  have  to  adopt  some 
fresh  disguise." 

"I  can't  stand  another,  J.  J.  I  can't  be  four  things 
at  once.  My  brain  won't  stand  it." 

"  It'll  have  to." 

"  What  do  you  mean  to  tell  him  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  yet.  I  must  be  guided  by  circum- 
stances. But  you  leave  it  to  me,  Major,  and  you'll  find 
it'll  pan  out  all  right.  I'm  not  by  any  means  such  a  fool 
as  people  are  inclined  to  take  me  for.  After  all,  what's 
a  Member  of  Parliament  ?  " 

The  Major's  spirits  sank  as  Mel  don's  revived.  He 
was  a  plain  man  with  an  immense  dislike  of  com- 
plications, and  he  foresaw  bewildering  confusion  before 
him. 

"  J.  J.,"  he  said  solemnly,  "  I'm  Major  Kent,  I'm  also 
a  mining  expert  in  the  pay  of  the  Lord-Lieutenant  and 
the  Chief  Secretary.  I'm  also  a  professor  of  sea-ser- 
pents and  things  of  that  sort.  I  can't  and  won't  set  up 
to  be  anything  else  on  this  trip." 

"  Oh,  we're  done  with  the  sea-serpent.  You  can  get 
that  off  your  mind  as  soon  as  you  like.  That  was  only 
temporary.  Remember,  Major,  what  Shakespeare  said, 
or  if  it  wasn't  Shakespeare  it  was  some  one  else — '  One 
man  in  his  time  plays  many  parts.'  You're  a  man,  aren't 
you  ?  Well,  there  you  are.  You  can't  go  behind  Shake- 
speare in  a  matter  of  this  kind.  As  soon  as  we've  had 


88  SPANISH  GOLD 

a  bite  to  eat  I'll  paddle  across  to  the  Aureole  and  call  on 
the  Member  of  Parliament." 

"  You  will  not,"  said  the  Major.  "  What's  the  use  of 
running  unnecessary  risks?  You  leave  him  alone  unless 
he  goes  for  you  in  any  way." 

"  That's  the  very  worst  possible  policy  to  pursue,"  said 
Meldon.  "  He'll  be  off  to  collogue  with  Higginbotham 
straight  away  if  I  don't  stop  him;  and  it's  ten  to  one 
he'll  hear  about  the  school  or  the  geological  survey.  No, 
no.  I'll  take  him  in  hand.  If  necessary  I'll  trot  him 
round  myself.  How  would  it  be,  now,  if  I  dropped  a 
hint  that  we  were  members  of  the  Irish  Lights  Com- 
mission going  about  inspecting  lighthouses?  He  might 
believe  that,  and  it  wouldn't  interest  him  enough  to  set 
him  asking  more  questions." 

"  But  there's  no  lighthouse  here." 

"  That's  true,  of  course.  Still,  we  might  be  thinking 
of  building  one.  But  anyhow  it's  time  enough  to  think 
about  that.  I  can't  possibly  tell  what  the  best  thing  to 
say  is  till  I  see  the  man.  In  the  meanwhile  let's  go  and 
get  out  dinner.  I  was  hungry  before;  I'm  simply  rav- 
enous now." 

"  My  appetite  is  pretty  well  gone,"  said  the  Major. 

"  Rot !  What  is  there  to  affect  your  appetite  ?  Why, 
man,  we're  getting  on  swimmingly,  far  better  than  I 
expected.  You  can't  go  out  treasure-seeking  without 
meeting  an  occasional  difficulty.  That's  where  the  sport 
comes  in.  And  listen  to  me,  Major,  it  doesn't  in  the 
least  matter  what  I  tell  the  Member  of  Parliament  or 
what  he  hears  from  Higginbotham.  The  old  Aureole 
is  absolutely  certain  to  drown  him  on  his  way  home,  and 
anything  he  happens  to  have  learned  will  go  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea  with  him.  It's  nothing  short  of  a  miracle 
that  he  got  here  safe," 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HAVING  paddled  the  Major  out  to  the  Spindrift, 
Meldon  suggested  that  they  should  dine  on  tinned 
brawn  and  bread-and-butter.  It  would,  as  he  pointed 
out,  take  a  long  time  to  light  the  galley  stove  and  boil 
potatoes;  and  every  moment  was  of  value  now  that 
the  strangers  on  the  Aureole  had  arrived  and  might 
go  on  shore  to  interview  Higginbotham.  It  is  likely 
also  that  extreme  hunger  made  the  prospect  of  an 
hour's  delay  very  unpleasant.  The  Major,  in  spite  of 
the  anxiety  which  affected  his  appetite,  agreed  to  dine 
at  once.  A  tin  was  opened  and  a  loaf  of  bread  taken 
from  the  locker. 

"  Last  loaf  but  one,"  said  the  Major,  as  he  set  it 
on  the  table.  "  To-morrow  we  shall  be  reduced  to  bis- 
cuits." 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Meldon.  "I'll  make  a  point  of 
seeing  Mary  Kate's  mother  this  evening  and  getting  her 
to  make  us  a  loaf  of  soda  bread.  There's  nothing  so 
good  as  one  of  those  pot-oven  loaves,  baked  over  a  turf 
fire,  and  Mary  Kate's  mother  is  just  the  woman  to  do 
it  well." 

"  You  know  nothing  about  the  woman.  You've  never 
seen  her.  How  do  you  know  whether  she  can  bake  or 
not?" 

89 


90  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I've  seen  Mary  Kate,  and  that's  enough.  You're 
very  unobservant,  Major.  It's  a  great  fault  in  you. 
And  when  by  any  chance  you  do  observe  anything,  you 
fail  to  draw  the  most  obvious  inference.  Now  I  know 
all  about  Mary  Kate's  mother  by  looking  at  Mary 
Kate.  She's  a  plump,  well-nourished  little  girl,  com- 
paratively clean,  with  a  nice,  comfortable,  red  petti- 
coat on  her,  therefore — observe  the  simple  nature  of 
the  inference — therefore  Mary  Kate's  mother  is  a  com- 
petent woman.  Is  it  likely  that  a  woman  who  couldn't 
bake  an  ordinary  loaf  would  have  reared  a  child  like 
Mary  Kate?" 

"  She  may  not  have  a  mother  at  all,"  said  the  Major. 
"  It  might  be  her  grandmother  or  her  aunt  that  reared 
her." 

"  There  you  are  again.  That's  your  wretched,  nig- 
gling, Anglo-Saxon  way  of  grubbing  about  at  details  in- 
stead of  grasping  the  broad  principles  of  things.  It 
doesn't  matter  to  us  whether  Mary  Kate  has  a  mother  or 
not.  The  point  is  that  somewhere  behind  Mary  Kate 
there's  a  competent  woman,  a  grandmother,  or  an  aunt, 
or  a  deceased  wife's  sister — it  doesn't  in  the  least  matter 
which.  Whoever  she  is  she  can  bake.  But  I'll  tell  you 
what  it  is,  Major,  if  we  had  my  little  girl  here  on  board, 
we  shouldn't  be  going  on  our  bended  knees  to  strange 
women  for  the  want  of  a  bit  of  bread.  We'd  be  sitting 
down  now  to  a  good  dish  of  steaming  hot  potatoes,  with 
their  skins  just  beginning  to  peel  off  them.  In  fact,  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  she  had  them  fried  for  us.  Think 
of  that!" 

"  I'd  rather " 

The  Major's  remark  was  interrupted  by  a  heavy  bump 
on  the  side  of  the  yacht.  It  was  clear  from  the  sound 


SPANISH  GOLD  91 

of  scraping  tHat  followed  that  a  boat  had  come  along- 
side. 

"  That  fellow,  whoever  he  is,"  said  the  Major,  "  will 
have  all  the  paint  off  us  before  he's  done." 

"  It  must  be  the  Member  of  Parliament  off  the 
'Aureole,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  call  this  most  fortunate." 

He  sprang  up  and  climbed  on  deck.  The  moment 
afterwards  he  thrust  his  head  into  the  cabin  again  and 
said — 

"  It's  not  the  Member  of  Parliament  after  all.  It's 
only  Higginbotham." 

He  plunged  forward  as  he  spoke  until  half  his  body 
hung  down  the  ladder. 

"  Best  thing  that  could  have  happened,"  he  whispered. 
"  So  long  as  Higginbotham  is  here  we  are  safe,  and  the 
Member  of  Parliament  can't  get  at  him.  I'll  bring  him 
down  and  give  him  a  bit  of  brawn.  We  can  open  an- 
other tin  if  he  seems  hungry." 

With  a  violent  wriggle  Meldon  got  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders on  deck  again.  He  welcomed  Higginbotham  with 
effusive  hospitality,  and  warmly  invited  him  to  go  be- 
low and  have  some  dinner.  It  appeared,  however,  that 
Higginbotham  was  not  hungry.  His  face  wore  a  look 
of  perplexity  and  irritation.  There  was  evidently  some- 
thing troubling  him  which  he  was  anxious  to  have  cleared 
up. 

"  I  saw  you  leave  the  shore,"  he  said,  "  and  I  got 
young  Jamesy  O'Flaherty  to  put  me  off.  I  hope  you 
don't  mind?" 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Meldon.  "  We're  delighted  to  see 
you.  You  say  you  won't  have  any  brawn.  Well,  try 
a  slice  of  bread-and-jam.  Major,  get  out  the  straw- 
berry jam;  it's  in  the  locker  under  you." 


92  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  No  thanks.  The  fact  is  I  only  came  out  for  a  few 
minutes'  conversation  with  you.  I " 

"  If  you  like,"  said  Meldon,  "  I'll  light  the  galley  fire 
and  make  you  a  cup  of  tea." 

"  No  thanks.  I  want  to  speak  to  you  for  a  few  min- 
utes and  then  I'll  go  back  to  my  work.  I've  been  rather 
annoyed  this  morning.  I'm  sure  there's  some  ridiculous 
mistake  which  can  be  cleared  up  in  ten  minutes.  I 
thought  it  better  to  come  straight  to  you." 

"  Quite  right,"  said  Meldon ;  "  if  the  thing  is  clear- 
able  at  all,  I'll  clear  it.  I'm  rather  good  at  clearing 
things  up.  Ask  the  Major  if  I'm  not.  Just  you  make 
a  clean  breast  of  whatever  the  trouble  is.  You  won't 
mind  our  eating  while  you  talk." 

"  It's  about  sugar  candy,"  said  Higginbotham. 

"  Great  Scott!  "  said  Meldon.     "  Mary  Kate!  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  Mary  Kate,  but  all  the 
children  on  the  island  have  been  following  me  about  and 
bothering  the  life  out  of  me  for  sugar  candy.  They  say 
you  set  them  on." 

"  Look  here,  Higginbotham,"  said  Meldon  severely. 
"The  Major  and  I  are  busy  men,  whatever  you 
may  be.  If  you're  in  any  real  trouble  we're  quite 
ready  to  do  our  best  to  pull  you  through,  but  I 
don't  think  it's  fair  of  you  to  come  here  wasting 
our  time  over  some  trumpery  business  about  sugar 
candy." 

"  But  the  children  said  you  sent  them  to  me." 

"  It's  all  well  enough  for  you  to  be  fussing  and  agi- 
tating in  this  way  about  mere  trifles,  but  I  have  serious 
matters  on  my  mind.  I  simply  haven't  time  to  waste 
over  sugar  candy.  If  the  children  have  taken  your 
sugar  candy,  see  their  parents  about  it  and  get  them 


SPANISH  GOLD  93 

properly  whipped.  You  can't  expect  us  to  go  about 
taking  sticky  stuff  out  of  their  mouths  to  gratify 
you." 

"  I  didn't  say  they'd  stolen  my  sugar  candy.  They 
haven't.  What  I  said " 

"  Very  well,  then,  what  are  you  making  all  this 
row  about?  Do  you  mean  to  suggest  that  we  took 
your  sugar  candy?  Neither  the  Major  nor  I  ever 
eat  sugar  candy.  If  you  set  half  a  pound  of  it  down 
on  this  table  now,  and  invited  us  to  gorge  we 
simply  wouldn't  touch  it.  Look  here,  Higginbotham, 
you  and  I  are  old  friends,  and  you  often  used  to 
go  up  to  Rathmines  with  me  to  see  my  little  girl, 
so  I'll  just  give  you  a  word  of  advice  that  I  wouldn't 
give  to  a  stranger — if  you  want  to  get  on  with  the 
people  on  this  island,  don't  go  quarrelling  with  their 
children.  There's  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  for  in- 
stance, as  decent  an  old  fellow  as  I  ever  met,  and 
quite  easy  to  make  friends  with.  He  went  out  to-day, 
quite  off  his  own  bat,  without  so  much  as  a  hint  from 
me,  and  caught  a  crab  and  gave  it  to  me.  Any  one 
with  a  grain  of  tact  could  get  on  with  poor  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat.  As  quiet  a  man  as  you'd  see  anywhere. 
But  you  go  and  rub  him  up  the  wrong  way,  get  his 
back  up,  and  generally  play  old  hokey  with  his  temper 
by  nagging  at  his  granddaughter  about  some  barley 
sugar." 

"  It  was  sugar  candy,"  said  Higginbotham,  feebly ; 
"  and  besides " 

"  Well,  sugar  candy,  then — it's  all  the  same.  It 
wouldn't  make  any  difference  if  it  was  peppermint 
lozenges.  You  worry  and  threaten  the  poor  child 
about  a  pennyworth  of  some  ridiculous  sweetmeat, 


94  SPANISH  GOLD 

and  then  you  profess  to  be  astonished  that  the  old  man 
won't  give  up  his  house  to  you.  I'd  have  been  very 
much  surprised  indeed  if  he  did  under  the  circumstances. 
No  man  likes  to  have  his  grandchildren  ragged.  You 
wouldn't  like  it  yourself  if  you  had  any.  And  a  little 
girl,  too!  Higginbotham,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  of 
yourself." 

"  If  you'd  let  me  speak  for  a  moment,"  said  Higgin- 
botham, "  I'd  explain." 

"  You're  far  too  fond  of  speaking,"  said  Meldon. 
"  Half  your  troubles  come  from  talking  too  much." 

"  But  you've  taken  the  thing  up  wrong.  I'm  not 
blaming  you.  There's  a  mistake  somewhere,  I  know. 
I  wish  you'd  let  me  say  one  word." 

"  I  can't  and  won't  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  arguing 
with  you  about  sugar  candy.  It  wouldn't  be  for  your 
own  good  if  I  did.  Are  you  aware,  Higginbotham,  that 
there  are  two  English  Members  of  Parliament  in  that 
boat,  anchored  a  few  yards  away,  and  that  they've  come 
here  expressly  to  see  how  you  are  getting  on  ?  " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  absolutely  know  it.  But  I  can't  im- 
agine what  would  bring  a  Member  of  Parliament  to 
this  island  if  it  wasn't  to  inspect  your  work.  They  don't 
come  here  for  the  salmon  fishing ;  you  may  bet  your  hat 
on  that.  Now,  if  you'll  take  my  advice  you  would 
seize  the  earliest  opportunity  of  smoothing  down  old 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  before  they  get  listening  to  his 
Story." 

"  But  the  old  man  can  only  talk  Irish." 

"  Don't  you  trust  too  much  to  that,  Higginbotham. 
In  the  first  place  I  strongly  suspect  that  he  can  talk 
English  just  as  well  as  you  can;  and  besides,  you  can't 


SPANISH  GOLD;  95 

be  sure  that  the  Members  of  Parliament  don't  know 
Irish.  I  can  tell  you  there  are  some  mighty  smart 
men  in  Parliament  now.  It  just  happens,  Higgin- 
botham,  that  this  morning,  while  you  were  chasing  and 
ballyragging  that  unfortunate  little  Mary  Kate  round 
and  round  the  island  for  the  sake  of  a  bit  of  sugar 
candy,  I  was  having  a  quiet  chat  with  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat.  It  just  shows  me  the  kind  of  fellow 
you  are.  You  don't  hesitate  to  come  here  bothering  the 
Major  and  me  with  your  wretched  little  grievances  while 
I've  been  doing  you  a  good  turn  in  a  really  important 
matter." 

"What?"  said  Higginbotham. 

"  I've  a  very  good  mind  not  to  tell  you  after  the  way 
you've  behaved.  But  I'll  just  say  this  much.  You  want 
old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  house  and  bit  of  land,  don't 
you?  Very  well,  you  go  up  there  to-morrow  at  half- 
past  eight  and  talk  to  him  about  it." 

"  Have  you  persuaded  him  to  give  it  up  ?  " 

"  I  won't  say  another  word.  Just  go  up  and  see  for 
yourself." 

"  I'm  awfully  obliged  to  you,  Meldon ;  I  really  am. 
I'm  sorry  for  bothering  you  about  the  sugar  candy. 
I  wouldn't  have  mentioned  the  matter  to  you 
only " 

"  All  right,"  said  Meldon  graciously.  "  Don't  trouble 
to  apologise.  The  Major  and  I  don't  mind  a  bit. 
But  I'll  tell  you  what  you  can  do  now.  I  have  to 
go  and  call  on  the  Members  of  Parliament.  Will 
you ?" 

"  There's  no  use  doing  that,"  said  Higginbotham.  "  I 
saw  them  going  ashore  in  their  punt  as  I  came  off  to 
you." 


96  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  All  the  same,  I'll  look  them  up,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'm 
sure  to  find  them  somewhere  about  on  the  island.  What 
I  want  you  to  do  is  to  stay  here  and  play  chess  with  the; 
Major  till  I  get  back." 

He  winked  fiercely  at  Major  Kent  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  know  you  play,  Higginbotham,  for  you  were  a 
member  of  the  chess  club  in  college.  You'll  enjoy  hav- 
ing a  go  at  the  Major.  He's  a  perfect  whale  at  the 
Muzio  gambit.  iVery  few  men  know  the  ins  and  outs 
of  it  as  he  does." 

"  I  don't,"  said  the  Major  sulkily ;  "  and  anyway,  there 
isn't  a  chessboard  on  the  yacht." 

Meldon  winked  again,  this  time  with  fervent  appeal. 

"  It's  all  right  about  the  board,"  he  said.  "  I  saw  one 
in  Higginbotham's  house  last  night.  I'll  go  ashore  in 
your  curragh,  Higginbotham,  and  send  it  off  to  you. 
Goodbye.  Oh !  Before  I  go,  Major,  you  might  as  well 
give  me  another  sixpence  in  case  I  meet  Mary  Kate  again. 
You  may  as  well  give  it  to  me  as  be  losing  it  to  Higgin- 
botham, making  bets  as  to  how  one  of  your  gambits  will 
turn  out." 

There  was  no  one  on  the  little  pier  when  Meldon 
reached  it.  He  supposed,  quite  rightly,  that  those  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  island  who  were  interested  in 
strangers  had  gone  after  the  M.P.'s.  It  seemed  likely 
that  Mary  Kate  had  followed  them.  She  was  a  child 
of  inquisitive  mind.  He  walked  up  to  Higginbotham's 
house,  obtained  the  chessboard,  and  sent  it  off  in  the 
curragh  to  the  yacht.  Then  he  made  his  way  to  the 
nearest  cottage,  knocked  at  the  door,  and  entered.  A 
young  woman,  bare-armed,  with  a  thick  stick  in  her  hands, 
was  pounding  a  mass  of  potatoes  and  turnips  in  a  large 
tub. 


SPANISH  GOLI5  974 

"  Good-evening  to  you,"  said  Meldon  cheerfully. 
"  Getting  the  food  ready  for  the  pigs  ?  That's  right. 
Feed  your  pigs  well.  There's  nothing  like  it.  Here,  give 
me  a  turn  at  that  stick.  You  look  as  if  you  were  getting 
hot." 

"  It  isn't  the  like  of  this  work  that  you'd  be  used  to," 
said  the  woman  smiling. 

"  Oh,  but  I  can  do  it,"  said  Meldon,  taking  the  stick 
from  her.  He  pounded  vigorously  at  the  unsavoury  mess 
for  a  while.  Then  he  said,  "  Are  you  the  woman  of  the 
house?" 

"  I  am,  your  honour." 

"  Well,  then,  where's  Mary  Kate  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  Is  it  Michael  O'Flaherty  Tom's  Mary  Kate  you'll  be 
wanting  ?  " 

"  How  many  more  Mary  Kates  are  there  ?  " 

"  There's  ne'er  another  in  it  only  herself." 

"Well,  then,  it's  her  I  want.  Where  have  you 
her?" 

"  She's  no  child  of  mine,"  said  the  woman.  "  I 
haven't  but  the  one,  and  he's  beyond  there  in  the  cradle. 
If  she  was  letting  on  to  your  honour  that  she  belonged 
to  me  she  was  just  deceiving  you.  Faith,  and  it's  not 
the  only  time  the  same  little  lady  was  at  them  sort  of 
tricks.  I  hear  that  herself  and  the  rest  of  the  children 
had  the  life  fair  bothered  out  of  the  gentleman  that  does 
be  measuring  out  the  land,  about  sugar  candy  or  some 
such  talk." 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder  at  her,"  said  Meldon ;  "  but  where 
would  she  be  now,  do  you  think  ? " 

"  She  might  be  off  chasing  home  the  brown  cow  and 
the  little  heifer  for  her  da." 

"  And  where  would  the  brown  cow  be  ?  " 


98  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Faith,  that  same  cow  is  mighty  fond  of  roaming 
where  she's  no  call  to  go." 

The  woman  stepped  outside  her  cottage  door  and 
peered  up  and  down.  "  Come  here  now,  your  honour, 
and  leave  off  mashing  them  turnips.  If  that  isn't  her- 
self with  the  brown  cow  in  front  of  her  and  the  little 
heifer  beyond  there  over  by  the  wall,  it's  mighty  like 
her." 

"  I'm  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Meldon.  "  Good- 
evening." 

He  crossed  two  stone  walls,  waded  through  a  boggy 
field,  and  came  within  hail  of  the  child  who  drove  the 
cattle. 

"  Mary  Kate !  "  he  shouted.  "  Hullo  there,  Mary  Kate 
O'Flaherty ! " 

She  turned  and  looked  at  him  in  wonder.  Then,  recog- 
nising the  giver  of  the  sixpence  in  the  morning,  grinned 
shyly. 

"  Mary  Kate,"  shouted  Meldon  again,  "  will  you  come 
over  here  and  speak  to  me  ?  Leave  those  cows  alone  and 
come  here.  Do  you  think  I've  nothing  to  do  only  to  be 
running  about  the  island  chasing  little  girleens  like  your- 
self?" 

But  Mary  Kate  had  no  intention  of  leaving  the  cow 
and  the  heifer.  With  a  devotion  to  the  pure  instinct 
of  duty  which  would  have  excited  the  admiration  of  any 
Englishman  and  a  Casabianca-like  determination  to  abide 
by  her  father's  word,  she  began  driving  the  cattle  towards 
Meldon.  Four  fields,  one  of  them  boggy,  and  five  loose 
stone  walls  lay  between  her  and  the  curate.  There  were 
no  gates.  Such  obstacles  might  have  daunted  an  older 
head.  They  didn't  trouble  Kate  in  the  least.  Reach- 
ing the  first  wall  she  deliberately  toppled  stone 


SPANISH  GOLD  99 

after  stone  off  it  until  she  had  made  a  practicable 
gap. 

The  cow  and  the  heifer,  understanding  what  was 
expected  of  them,  stalked  into  the  field  beyond,  pick- 
ing their  steps  with  an  ease  which  told  of  long  prac- 
tice, among  the  scattered  debris  of  the  broken  wall. 
Meldon,  with  a  courteous  desire  to  save  the  child 
extra  trouble,  crossed  the  wall  nearest  him.  Mary 
Kate  dealt  with  a  second  obstacle  as  she  had  with 
the  first  and  reached  the  boggy  field.  The  cattle, 
encouraged  by  her  shouts,  floundered  through,  draw- 
ing their  hoofs  out  of  the  deep  mud  with  evident 
exertion.  Mary  Kate,  light  as  she  was,  sank  to  her 
ankles  in  places  and  splashed  the  calves  of  her  legs 
with  slime.  Meldon,  who  wore  boots  and  had  to  be 
careful  where  he  walked,  waited  for  her  on  dry 
ground. 

"  Well,  Mary  Kate,"  he  said.  "  Here  you  are  at  last. 
A  nice  chase  I  had  after  you.  Tell  me  this  now,  did 
you  see  the  two  strange  gentlemen  that  came  off  the 
other  boat?" 

"  I  did." 

t  Did  either  of  them  give  you  a  sixpence  the  same  as 
I  did  this  morning?  " 

"  They  did  not." 

"  Didn't  they  now  ?  I'd  hardly  call  them  gentlemen  at 
all  then,  would  you  ?  " 

Mary  Kate  grinned.  Her  first  shyness  was  disappear- 
ing. She  began  to  find  Meldon  a  companionable  per- 
son. 

"Where  did  they  go  when  they  came  ashore?  Was 
it  up  to  the  iron  house  of  the  gentleman  that  does  be 
measuring  out  the  land  ?  " 


ioo  SPANISH  GOLD 

Meldon  had  gathered  from  the  woman  whom  he  had 
interviewed  on  his  way  that  this  was  the  proper  descrip- 
tion of  Higginbotham. 

Mary  Kate  understood  him  at  once. 

"  They  did  not  then." 

"  Well,  and  if  they  didn't  go  there,  where  did  they 
go?" 

"  Back  west." 

"  Do  you  mean  up  the  hill  there  to  the  place  where 
the  cliffs  are?" 

Mary  Kate  grinned  assent.  She  was  a  child  who 
set  a  proper  value  on  words  and  used  as  few  as 
possible  in  conversation.  Meldon  wondered  why  the 
Members  of  Parliament  had  gone  straight  past  the  hu- 
man habitations  and  the  works  of  Higginbotham,  which 
might  be  supposed  to  interest  them,  to  the  desolate  re- 
gion where  only  very  active  sheep  grazed.  He  decided 
that  they  must  have  gone  to  look  at  the  view,  and  he 
thought  less  of  them.  The  tourist — the  mere  unmiti- 
gated tourist — with  no  political  or  social  objects  before 
his  mind,  goes  to  look  at  views.  No  one  else — certainly 
no  proper,  serious-minded  Member  of  Parliament — would 
waste  his  time  over  a  view. 

"  Mary  Kate,"  he  began  again  after  a  pause. 
"You're  Michael  O'Flaherty  Tom's  Mary  Kate,  aren't 
you?" 

"  I  might  then." 

"  What's  the  good  of  saying  you  might  when  you  know 
you  are?  You  can't  get  over  me  with  that  sort  of  talk. 
Do  you  see  that  ?  " 

He  held  up  between  his  finger  and  thumb  Major  Kent's 
second  sixpence. 

Mary  Kate  grinned. 


SPANISH  GOLD  101 

"  Well,  take  a  good  look  at  it.  Now,  tell  me  this,  Is 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  your  grandfather?" 

"  Is  it  me  grandda  you  mean  ?  " 

"  It  is.     Is  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  your  grandda?  " 

"  He  might,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

"  Well,  go  you  up  to  him  wherever  he  is  and  tell 
him  this:  that  the  gentleman  who  does  be  measuring 
out  the  land  wants  to  see  him  to-morrow  morning 
at  half-past  eight  o'clock.  Do  you  understand  me 
now?" 

"  I  do  surely." 

"  Well,  what  are  you  to  tell  him?  " 

"  I'm  to  tell  him  that  the  gentleman  from  the  Board 
who  does  be  measuring  out  the  land  wants  to  take  the 
house  off  him." 

"  Well,"  said  Meldon,  "  you  can  put  it  that  way  if  you 
like.  And  mind  this,  Mary  Kate — are  you  listening  to 
me  now? — mind  this,  if  your  grandda  isn't  there  at  half- 
past  eight  o'clock  the  house  will  be  took  off  him  whether 
he  likes  it  or  not.  But  if  he's  there,  maybe  it  won't.  Do 
you  understand  that  ?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  Well,  now,  there's  one  thing  more.  You're  a  mighty 
clever  little  girl,  Mary  Kate.  I  suppose  now  you  can 
speak  the  Irish  just  as  well  as  you  can  the  English.  Well, 
then,  you  be  up  at  your  grandda's  house  at  the  same  time 
to-morrow,  so  as  you'll  be  able  to  tell  him  what  the  gen- 
tleman says  to  him  and  tell  the  gentleman  what  he  wants 
to  say." 

"  Sure,  there's  no  need." 

"  I  know  there's  no  need  just  as  well  as  you  do.  But 
you're  to  be  there  all  the  same.  Will  you  promise  me 
now  that  you'll  go  ?  " 


102  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  do  be  in  dread  of  the  gentleman,"  said  Mary  Kate 
doubtfully. 

"  And  well  you  may  after  plaguing  the  life  out  of 
him  all  day  for  barley  sugar.  Oh,  I  heard  about  your 
goings  on.  But  don't  you  be  afraid.  That'll  be  all 
right." 

"  Will  he  be  for  beating  me?  " 

"  He  will  not.  I  made  it  all  right  with  him,  and  he 
won't  raise  a  hand  to  you,  so  you  needn't  be  afraid. 
Just  you  face  up  to  him  and  tell  him  what  your 
grandda  says  about  the  house.  Now,  here's  the  other 
sixpence  for  you.  Be  a  good  girl  and  mind  what  I  said, 
and  maybe  you'll  get  another  sixpence  yet." 

Meldon  left  the  child  and  strolled  down  to  the  pier. 
He  was  gratified  to  see  the  two  strangers  in  their  punt 
rowing  off  to  the  Aureole.  Their  taste  for  scenery  was 
evidently  satisfied.  He  paddled  out  to  the  Spindrift  very 
well  satisfied  with  himself.  He  found  Major  Kent 
and  Higginbotham  sitting  over  the  chessboard  in  the 
cabin.  The  Major  had  just  been  checkmated  for  the 
fourth  time  and  was  in  a  very  bad  temper.  Higgin- 
botham had  taken  quite  the  wrong  way  of  soothing  him. 
There  is  nothing  more  irritating  than  to  have  the  mis- 
takes of  the  past  brought  up  and  explained,  all  their 
foolishness  exposed.  Higginbotham,  with  that  curious 
memory  which  only  chess-players  possess,  had  in- 
sisted on  going  over  each  of  the  four  games  he  had 
won  and  showing  to  the  Major  where  the  weakness  of 
his  moves  lay.  Meldon  interrupted  the  fourth  demon- 
stration. 

"  Wake  up,  you  two,"  he  cried  as  he  entered  the 
cabin,  "  and  let's  get  tea.  I'm  as  hungry  as  if  I  hadn't 
touched  food  to-day.  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Higgin- 


SPANISH  GOLD  103 

botham;  I  wouldn't  like  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  this 
island  of  yours  when  there's  a  famine  on.  I  never  came 
across  such  a  place  in  my  life  for  raising  an  appetite  on 
a  man.  You  ought  to  get  your  Board  to  run  it  as  a 
health  resort  for  dyspeptic  people  who  can't  or  won't 
eat." 

"  Dyspeptic  people,"  said  the  Major  sullenly,  "  are  the 
ones  who  eat  too  much." 

"  Oh !  well,  you  know  the  kind  of  people  I  mean. 
I  may  have  got  the  name  wrong.  I'm  not  a  boss  at 
scientific  names  and  I  never  said  I  was.  I  leave  that 
to  you  and  Higginbotham.  You  like  talking  about 
pliocene  clay  and  such  things.  Hullo!  Where  are  you 
going?" 

The  Major  had  risen  from  his  seat  and  was  making 
for  the  galley.  He  disliked  the  mention  of  pliocene 
clay.  It  seemed  to  him  that  it  might  lead  to  inquiries 
from  Higginbotham  about  the  geological  survey  of  the 
island. 

"  I'm  going  to  light  the  stove,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  I'll  do  that,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  know  you  hate 
messing  about  with  coal  and  paraffin  oil.  It  dirties  your 
hands.  You  and  Higginbotham  spread  the  cloth  and  get 
out  the  cups  and  things." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  can't  stay  for  tea,"  said  Higginbotham. 
"  I've  got  a  lot  of  writing  to  do." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Meldon  hospitably.  "  You  can't 
really  want  to  write.  No  posts  go  out  from  this 
island." 

"  No,  they  don't.  But  I'm  expecting  some  members 
of  our  Board  round  before  the  end  of  the  month,  and  I 
like  to  have  a  report  of  my  work  written  up.  I  didn't 
realise  that  it  was  so  late  till  you  came  on  board." 


104  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Very  well,  Higgmbotham,  we  won't  interfere  with 
your  work.  The  Major  and  I  both  know  what  official 
work  is.  We're  sorry  to  lose  your  company,  but  of 
course  we  quite  understand.  Major,  if  you  put  Higgin- 
botham ashore  in  the  punt,  I'll  light  the  stove.  Good- 
bye, old  fellow.  Mind  you  don't  forget  to  be  up  at  old 
O'Flaherty's  to-morrow  at  8.30.  It's  most  important. 
Are  you  ready,  Major?" 

Major  Kent  was  already  busy  at  the  stove  and 
refused  to  leave  it.  It  was  Meldon  who  took  Higgin- 
botham to  the  pier.  When  he  returned  the  stove  was 
lit,  the  kettle  on  it,  and  Major  Kent  was  waiting  for 
him. 

"  J.  J.,"  said  he,  "  I'll  stand  no  more  of  this.  If  you 
want  to  entertain  Higginbotham  you  must  do  it  your- 
self. You  know  I'm  no  good  at  chess.  What  do  you 
mean  by  dumping  a  man  like  that  down  on  me  for  the 
afternoon  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you'd  like  a  game,"  said  Meldon. 

"  You  thought  nothing  of  the  sort.  You  knew  I 
was  no  match  for  a  fellow  who  has  won  championship 
cups  and  things.  He  talked  to  me  about  the  Sicilian 
defence.  What  do  I  know  about  the  Sicilian  de- 
fences?" 

"  If  he  hadn't  had  Sicilian  defences  to  talk  about  he'd 
have  talked  about  geology,  and  that  would  have  been  a 
great  deal  more  unpleasant  for  you." 

"  I  don't  see  why  he  need  have  been  kept  here  to  talk 
at  all." 

"  My  dear  Major,  aren't  you  a  little  unreasonable  ?  I 
had  to  keep  Higginbotham  occupied  in  some  way.  I  had 
to  keep  him  off  the  island.  Don't  you  see  that  if  he 
landed  he'd  have  been  almost  certain  to  knock  up  against 


SPANISH  GOLD  105 

one  or  other  of  those  Members  of  Parliament?  Then 
he'd  have  let  the  whole  thing  out — geological  survey, 
school,  and  all.  You  wouldn't  have  liked  that.  You 
told  me  yourself  you  wouldn't  like  it." 

"  He'll  see  them  to-morrow  any  way.  It'll  be  all  the 
same  in  the  end." 

"  He  may  not  see  them  to-morrow.  They  may  be 
gone  out  of  this.  You  don't  realise,  Major,  what  a 
restless  animal  the  modern  Member  of  Parliament  is. 
He  never  stops  long  in  one  place.  He  can't,  you  know. 
The  British  Empire  has  grown  so  enormously  of  late 
that  the  Members  of  Parliament  simply  have  to  dart 
round  to  get  a  look  at  it  at  all.  Besides,  even  if  Higgin- 
botham  does  see  them  it  won't  matter.  I  have  everything 
fixed  up  for  to-morrow.  By  the  evening  we'll  have  our 
hands  on  the  treasure  and  be  in  a  position  to  laugh  at 
the  whole  Government.  Ah!  there's  the  kettle  boil- 
ing." 

A  few  minutes  later  Meldon  entered  the  cabin  with 
the  teapot  in  his  hand. 

"  I  was  just  going  to  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  when  the 
kettle  boiled  and  interrupted  me,  that  I've  made  it  all 
right  about  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  He  won't  track 
us  to-morrow." 

"  What  did  you  do  ?  "  said  the  Major  a  little  anxiously. 
"  Did  you  disguise  yourself  again  ?  " 

"I  did  not  then,"  said  Meldon,  "but  I  don't  deny 
that  I  more  or  less  disguised  Mary  Kate's  grandda,  and 
for  the  matter  of  that,  Mary  Kate  herself  and  Higgin- 
botham.  I  resorted  to  what  you  military  men  call  a 
stratagem." 

"What  did  you  do?" 

"  Well,  maybe  as  you've  been  a  magistrate  since  you've 


106  SPANISH  GOLD; 

given  up  the  army,  you'll  understand  me  better  if  I  say 
that  I  established  an  alibi." 

"  I  wish  you'd  talk  sense,  not  that  I  care  what  you  did. 
I'm  past  caring." 

"  An  alibi,"  said  Meldon,  "  is  what  they  call  it  when 
a  man  is  in  another  place  from  where  the  prosecuting 
counsel  wants  him  to  be.  Now  I  don't  want  old 
O'Flaherty  down  on  the  pier  to-morrow  morning  when 
we  land.  I  don't  want  Higginbotham  either.  For  the 
matter  of  that  I  don't  particularly  care  about  seeing  Mary 
Kate  there.  So  I've  settled  things  in  such  a  way  that 
they'll  all  three  of  them  be  somewhere  else  between  half- 
past  eight  and  half-past  nine  to-morrow  morning.  That's 
the  alibi.  See?" 

"  I  do  not." 

"  Well,  I  can't  help  your  not  seeing.  The  facts  are 
just  the  same  as  if  you  did.  We  want  to  get  off  to  that 
hole  to-morrow  without  being  tracked  by  old  T.  O.  P., 
or  talked  at  by  Higginbotham.  That's  so,  isn't  it  ?  Very 
well,  we'll  get  off,  unseen  and  unknown.  That's  what 
comes  of  managing  these  things  with  some  little  intelli- 
gence." 

"  What  about  the  Members  of  Parliament,  if  they  are 
Members  of  Parliament  ?  " 

"  As  I  think  I  told  you  before,"  said  Meldon,  "  they'll 
probably  be  gone  to-morrow  morning.  But  even  if 
they're  not,  it  won't  matter.  They  went  off  this  after- 
noon up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  to  look  at  the  view. 
Now  fellows  who  go  wandering  about  after  scenery  aren't 
likely  to  interfere  seriously  with  us.  We  needn't  bother 
about  them." 


CHAPTER  IXi 

MELDON'S  stratagem  was  entirely  successful. 
Not  only  did  Higginbotham  and  old  O'Flaherty 
keep  their  engagement  punctually,  and  Mary  Kate  go 
to  act  as  interpreter,  but  almost  all  the  rest  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  island  went  to  listen  to  the  discussion.  The 
pier  and  the  fields  through  which  it  was  necessary  to 
pass  in  order  to  reach  the  path  down  the  cliff  were 
entirely  deserted.  Meldon  carried  a  bathing  towel 
slung  round  his  neck.  The  Major  had  a  basket 
with  some  luncheon  in  it.  After  landing  they  took  a 
look  at  the  Aureole,  The  two  strangers  were  busy  on 
deck. 

"  What  on  earth  are  they  doing  ?  "  said  the  Major. 

"  It  looks  to  me  uncommonly  like  as  if  they  were 
trying  to  pull  the  halyard  clear  of  the  block  at  the 
throat,"  said  Meldon.  "  If  they  do  they  may  reeve 
it  again  themselves.  I'm  not  going  over  to  help 
them." 

"  But  what  can  they  want  to  do  that  for  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  Maybe  they've  got  a  new 
one  on  board.  The  old  one's  pretty  bad.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  they  wanted  to  get  rid  of  it.  But  anyhow 
it's  no  business  of  ours.  Come  along." 

"  I  wish  very  much,"  said  the  Major  an  hour  later, 

107 


io8  SPANISH  GOLD 

when  they  were  scrambling  among  the  rocks  below  the 
cliff,  "  that  there  was  some  nearer  way  to  this  beastly 
treasure-hole  of  yours." 

"  Well,  there  isn't ;  not  unless  you  like  to  let  your- 
self down  off  the  top  of  the  cliff  where  the  old  boy 
was  sitting  yesterday,  or  off  the  other  one  on  the  north 
side  of  the  bay.  I  think  it  dropped  more  sheer.  By 
the  way,  that  mightn't  be  a  bad  idea  for  getting  the 
treasure  up.  You  could  stand  on  the  top  and  let  down 
a  bag  to  me.  I'd  fill  it  with  doubloons  and  then  you'd 
haul  up.  See?  It  would  be  a  great  deal  easier  than 
carrying  the  stuff  all  round  here  and  up  the  path. 
We'd  run  it  down  the  hill  to  the  pier  in  half  an 
hour." 

"  It  would  be  easier,"  said  the  Major.  "  But  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  arrange  about  that  when  you've  got 
the  gold." 

They  reached  the  shelf  of  rock  outside  the  cave  at 
last. 

"  It's  a  pity  you  can't  swim,"  said  Meldon.  "  You  look 
hot  enough  to  enjoy  the  cold  water  this  minute." 

Meldon  himself  stripped,  stood  for  a  minute  on  the 
edge  of  the  rock  stretching  himself  in  the  warm  air. 
Then  he  plunged  into  the  water.  He  lay  on  his  back, 
rolled  over,  splashed  his  feet  and  hands,  dived  as  a 
porpoise  does.  Then,  after  a  farewell  to  the  Major,  he 
struck  out  along  the  channel.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
felt  bottom  with  his  feet  and  stood  upright.  He  heard 
the  Major  shout  something,  but  the  echo  of  the  cliffs 
around  him  prevented  his  catching  the  words.  He 
swam  again  towards  the  shore.  The  Major  continued 
to  shout.  Meldon  stopped  swimming,  stood  waist- 
deep  in  the  water,  and  looked  round.  The  Major 


SPANISH  GOLD  109 

pointed  with  his  hand  to  the  cliff  at  the  end  of  the 
channel.  Meldon  looked  up.  A  man  with  a  rope 
round  him  was  rapidly  descending.  Meldon  gazed 
at  him  in  astonishment.  He  was  not  one  of  the 
islanders.  He  was  dressed  in  well-fitting,  dark-blue 
clothes,  wore  rubber-soled  canvas  shoes  and  a  neat 
yachting  cap.  He  reached  the  beach  safely  and  faced 
Meldon.  For  a  short  time  both  men  stood  without 
speaking.  The  Major's  shouts  ceased.  Then  the 
stranger  said — 

"  Who  the  devil  are  you?  " 

"  I  am  the  Rev.  Joseph  John  Meldon,  B.A.,  T.C.D., 
Curate  of  Ballymoy.  Who  are  you  and  what  are  you 
doing  here  ?  " 

"  Damn  it !  "  said  the  stranger. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  you  wouldn't  swear. 
It's  bad  form." 

"  Damn  it !  "  said  the  stranger  again  with  considerable 
emphasis. 

"  I've  mentioned  to  you  that  I'm  a  parson.  You  must 
recognise  that  it's  particularly  bad  form  to  swear  when 
you're  talking  to  me.  You  ought  to  remember  my 
cloth." 

The  stranger  grinned. 

"  There's  devilish  little  cloth  about  you  to  remem- 
ber this  minute,"  he  said.  "  I  never  saw  a  man  with 
less.  But  any  way,  I  don't  care  a  tinker's  curse  for 
your  cloth  or  your  religion  either.  I'll  swear  if  I 
like." 

"  You  don't  quite  catch  my  point,"  said  Meldon.  "  I' 
don't  mind  if  you  swear  yourself  blue  in  the  face  on 
ordinary  occasions.  But  if  you're  a  gentleman — and  you 
look  as  if  you  wanted  to  be  taken  for  one — you'll  recog-; 


no  SPANISH  GOLD 

nise  that  it's  bad  form  to  swear  when  you're  talking  to 
me.  Being  a  parson,  I  can't  swear  back  at  you,  and  so 
you  get  an  unfair  advantage  in  any  conversation  there 
may  be  between  us — the  kind  of  advantage  no  gentleman 
would  care  to  take." 

"Well,  I'm  hanged!" 

"  Think  over  what  I've  said.  I'm  sure  you'll  come 
to  see  that  there's  something  in  it.  By  the  way,  I  seem 
to  recognise  the  rope  you've  got  round  you.  If  I'm  not 
greatly  mistaken,  it's  the  throat  halyard  of  my  boat.  I 
know  it  by  the  splice  I  put  in  where  I  cut  away  a  bit 
that  was  badly  worn.  It's  a  remarkably  neat  splice. 
Now,  if  you  don't  mind  my  saying  so,  you're  a  fool  to 
go  swinging  over  a  cliff  at  the  end  of  that  rope.  It's 
rotten." 

"  Like  everything  else  in  your  damned — I  mean  to 
say  your  infernal  old  boat.  You  may  be  a  parson,  but 
I  call  you  a  common  swindler  if  you're  the  man  who 
hired  that  boat  to  my  friend  Langton." 

"  Are  you  a  Liberal  or  a  Conservative  ?  "  asked  Mel- 
don  in  a  cheerful,  conversational  tone. 

"  What  the  devil — I  mean,  what  on  earth  has  that  got 
to  do  with  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  nothing,  of  course.  Only  as  you're  a  Member 
of  Parliament  I  naturally  thought  you'd  like  to  talk  poli- 
tics, and  it  would  be  easier  for  me  if  I  knew  to  start  with 
which  side  you  were  on." 

"  I'm  not  a  Member  of  Parliament." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  Mr.  Langton  is.  It's  all  the  same 
thing.  I  might  have  guessed  he  was  something  of  the 
sort  when  I  saw  him  in  that  fur  coat.  Is  he  a  Liberal 
or  a  Conservative  ?  " 

"  Are  you  an  escaped  lunatic  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD  in 

"  Don't  lose  your  temper,"  said  Meldon.  "  If  he  isn't 
a  Member  of  Parliament,  say  so,  calmly  and  quietly. 
There's  nothing,  so  far  as  I  know,  insulting  about  the 
suggestion  that  you  and  he  are  Members  of  Parlia- 
ment. Lots  of  fellows  are  quite  keen  on  getting  into 
Parliament  and  spend  piles  of  money  on  it.  I  think  my- 
self that  it's  rather  a  futile  line  of  life.  But  then  I'm 
not  naturally  fond  of  listening  to  other  fellows'  speeches. 
It's  all  a  question  of  taste.  Some  people  like  that  kind 
of  thing  well  enough.  I  don't  blame  them.  There's 
nothing  to  be  ashamed  of  in  writing  M.P.  after  your 
name.  There's  certainly  nothing  to  get  angry  about 
in  my  supposing  that  you  do.  But  if  you  like,  we'll 
drop  the  subject.  What  did  you  say  your  name  is. 
Mine,  I  think  I  told  you.  It's  Meldon — Joseph  John 
Meldon,  B.A." 

"  And  what  are  you  doing  here,  Mr.  Joseph  John 
Meldon?" 

"  Bathing.     What  are  you  doing  ?  " 

"  I'm  bird's-nesting." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Meldon.  "  Now  I  was  very  keen  on 
bird's-nesting  myself  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  remember 
one  time  going  off  to  an  island  in  the  lake  near  my 
old  home,  swimming,  you  know,  and  coming  back 
with  four  waterhen's  eggs  in  my  mouth.  One  broke 
on  the  way  and  it  happened  to  be  a  bit  —  you  know 
what  I  mean — a  bit  high.  I  sometimes  think  I  can  taste 
it  still.  I  couldn't  spit  it  out  on  account  of  the  other 
three " 

"  How  long  do  you  mean  to  stand  there  talking?  " 

"  I'm  in  no  hurry,"  said  Meldon.  "  It's  early  yet,  and 
it  isn't  every  day  I  get  the  chance  of  talking  to  a  Mem- 
ber of  Parliament." 


ii2  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I've  told  you  once  already  that  I'm  not  a  Member 
of  Parliament." 

"  Come  now,  I  can  understand  modesty,  and  I  can 
understand  a  man's  adopting  a  disguise.  I've  done  that 
myself  before  now.  But  it's  a  bit  too  thick  when  it 
comes  to  trying  to  persuade  me  that  you're  not  a  Mem- 
ber of  Parliament.  Is  there  any  kind  of  man  except 
an  inquiring  English  M.P.  who'd  come  off  to  Inishgow- 
lan  in  a  five-tonner  and  swing  off  the  face  of  a  cliff  on 
a  rotten  rope?  What  would  anybody  else  do  it  for? 
Tell  me  that.  Where  would  be  the  sense  in  it?  You 
tell  Higginbotham  you're  not  a  Member  of  Parliament 
if  you  like,  and  he'll  maybe  believe  you,  though  I  doubt 
if  even  Higginbotham  would.  Or  try  it  on  with  Major 
Kent.  He's  an  innocent  sort  of  man.  But  there's  no 
good  talking  that  way  to  me.  If  you're  not  a  Member  of 
Parliament,  what  are  you  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  you'll  believe  me  and  clear  out  of  this  if 
I  tell  you  that  my  name's  Buckley,  Sir  Giles  Buckley, 
and  that  I  haven't  been  in  this  cursed  country,  or 
England  either,  for  the  last  ten  years  until  a  week 
ago." 

A  sudden  light  flashed  on  Meldon's  mind.  Old  Sir 
Giles  Buckley,  the  grandfather  of  the  man  in  front  of 
him,  had  known  about  the  Spanish  treasure.  He  had 
heard  the  story,  just  as  Captain  Kent  had,  from  Lady 
Buckley.  No  doubt  he,  too,  liad  written  it  down  in 
some  diary,  or  had  left  notes  of  his  expedition  in 
search  of  the  treasure.  This  man — this  disreputable, 
disinherited  son  of  the  last  Sir  Giles — had  of  necessity 
been  heir  to  Ballymoy  House  and  the  papers  it  con- 
tained. The  situation  became  clear  to  Meldon.  Here 
was  a  rival  treasure-seeker,  a  man  evidently  possessed 


SPANISH  GOLD  113 

of  information  superior  to  that  of  Major  Kent's  grand- 
father, for  he  came  straight  to  the  very  spot  which  Mel- 
don  had  taken  much  pains  to  discover. 

"  I'm  delighted  to  meet  you,"  said  Meldon.  "  Your 
father  was  always  a  liberal  subscriber  to  the  funds  of 
the  church  in  our  parish.  I  hope  you  mean  to  keep 
up  his  subscription.  The  rector  has  been  worried  a 
lot  over  the  loss  of  what  your  father  used  to  give.  It's 
most  fortunate  my  meeting  you  in  this  way.  I'll 
explain  the  situation  to  you  in  a  moment.  When 
the  Church  of  Ireland  ceased  to  be  established  by 
law — Gladstone,  you  know,  I  think  it  was  in 
!869 " 

"  I'm  not  going  to  subscribe  one  penny  to  your  church," 
said  Sir  Giles.  "  I  haven't  any  money,  and  if  I  had  I 
wouldn't  give  a  solitary  shilling  towards  paying  a  fellow 
like  you." 

"  Well,  anyhow  it  can  do  you  no  harm  to  understand 
how  we're  situated.  Under  the  Act  of  Disestablishment 
the  existing  clergy " 

"  Damn  it !  "  said  Sir  Giles. 

Then  he  pulled  vigorously  at  the  rope  which  was  still 
round  his  armpits  and  shouted,  "  Langton,  Langton,  haul 
up,  will  you  ?  Have  you  gone  to  sleep  ?  Haul  up,  I  tell 
you.  Not  too  quick.  Do  you  want  to  knock  my  brains 
out?" 

He  swung  slowly  up,  clinging  with  both  hands  to 
the  rope  above  his  head  and  pushing  himself  off  the 
face  of  the  cliff  with  his  feet.  Meldon,  with  a  broad 
grin  on  his  face,  watched  him  reach  the  top  and  then 
turned  and  swam  back  to  the  rock  where  the  Major 
waited. 

"  I  say,  Major,"  he  gasped,  "  those  fellows  aren't  Mem- 


114  SPANISH  GOLD 

bers  of  Parliament  after  all,  and  the  treasure  is  certainly 
in  that  hole." 

"  I  could  see  you  standing  up  to  your  middle  in  water 
talking  to  a  man.  I  couldn't  hear  a  word  you  said,  of 
course.  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  He's  Sir  Giles  Buckley,  and  that's  why  I  say  the 
treasure  is  certainly  in  that  hole." 

"  I  don't,"  said  the  Major,  "  precisely  see  how  the  one 
thing  follows  from  the  other." 

Meldon  climbed  out  of  the  water  and  began  to  rub 
himself  briskly  with  his  towel. 

"  You  wouldn't,"  he  said,  "  but  it  does  follow.  Noth- 
ing could  follow  more  plainly.  It's  like  a  beastly  syllo- 
gism. Here's  a  man — two  men,  in  fact — who  have  no 
earthly  business  in  Inishgowlan.  It's  impossible  even  to 
invent  a  motive  for  their  coming  here  now  that  we 
know  that  they're  not  Members  of  Parliament.  Very 
well.  They're  here  all  the  same,  and  one  of  them  risks 
his  life  on  a  rotten  rope  to  get  down  the  face  of  a  cliff 
to  a  certain  hole  at  the  bottom  of  it.  What  would  he  do 
that  for?" 

Meldon  paused. 

"  I  don't  quite  see  yet,"  said  the  Major,  "  how  you 
prove  that  there  is  treasure  in  that  hole." 

"  Very  well,  I'll  start  at  the  thing  from  the  other  di- 
rection. Hitherto  I've  been  proceeding  on  what's  called 
the  inductive  method  of  reasoning.  Bacon,  you  know, 
was  the  man  who  invented  that.  Now  I'll  try  deduction. 
Who  else  besides  ourselves  knows  about  that  treas- 
ure?" 

"  We  don't  know.  At  least  I  don't.  You're  trying  to 
prove  the  treasure  to  me  at  present  by  some  method  or 
other." 


SPANISH  GOLD  115 

"  Major,  at  times  you'd  make  a  saint  go  near 
swearing.  Have  I  got  to  go  through  the  whole  story 
of  the  wreck  of  that  Spanish  galleon  again?  If  you 
don't  trust  me  you  might  at  least  believe  your  own 
grandfather.  He  said  the  treasure  was  here.  Now, 
who  else  knew  about  it?  Old  Sir  Giles  Buckley  did. 
Now,  assume  that  he  wrote  down  what  he  knew,  just 
as  your  grandfather  did.  There's  nothing  more  likely. 
His  son  never  reads  the  paper  any  more  than  your 
father  did.  But  you  read  your  grandfather's  diary 
after  the  death  of  the  late  Sir  Giles.  You  follow  me  so 
far?" 

"  I  follow  you  all  right,  but  why  don't  you  put  on  your 
clothes?  I'd  have  thought  you'd  have  had  enough  of 
standing  about  in  your  skin  for  one  day." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  dress  yet,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  may 
have  to  swim  down  the  channel  again  at  any  moment. 
Suppose  Sir  Giles  takes  it  into  his  head  to  drop  over 
the  cliff  the  minute  he  thinks  that  my  back  is  turned. 
I  can't  afford  to  let  him  nip  into  the  hole  by  himself." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  stand  there  stark  naked  day  and 
night  until  Sir  Giles  chooses  to  leave  the  island?  " 

"  No,  I  don't.  In  another  hour  the  tide  will  have  risen, 
so  that  nobody  can  get  into  the  hole.  The  mouth  of  it 
will  be  covered  and  the  whole  thing  full  of  water  inside. 
Hullo!  There's  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  with  him  sitting 
on  the  cliff  opposite  us  just  where  old  T.  O.  P.  sat  yester- 
day. They're  watching  us.  Very  well,  let  them  watch. 
I'll  dress." 

"  You  may  as  well  for  all  the  good  you're  likely  to 
get  out  of  that  hole." 

"  Just  you  wait,"  said  Meldon,  "  till  I  get  into  my  shirt 
and  trousers  and  I'll  explain  to  you." 


iii6  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Now,  where  was  I  ?  Oh,  yes !  Sir  Giles  Buckley 
'dies.  His  son,  that  playboy  sitting  on  the  cliff  opposite, 
gets  next  to  nothing  out  of  the  property,  but  he  collars 
some  family  papers.  He  reads  them.  He  sees,  just  as 
I  saw,  just  as  any  man  with  a  glimmer  of  intelligence 
would  see,  that  he's  got  a  soft  thing  in  this  treasure. 
He  doesn't  care  about  being  recognised  in  Ballymoy, 
where  he  very  likely  owes  money,  so  he  sends  a  friend 
to  hire  a  boat  for  him.  He  gets  my  boat  and  off  he 
comes." 

"  I  don't  see  that  you've  proved  anything,"  said  the 
Major,  "  except  that  there's  one  other  ass  in  the  world 
as  giddy  as  yourself." 

"Unpack  the  luncheon,"  said  Meldon.  "Your  tem- 
per will  improve  while  you  eat.  There's  just  one  thing 
left  which  puzzles  me/' 

"  I  shouldn't  have  supposed  that  there  was  anything 
in  the  world  that  could  puzzle  you." 

"Well,  there  aren't  many  things,"  said  Meldon 
frankly.  "  In  fact,  I've  not  yet  come  across  anything 
which  regularly  defeated  me  when  I  gave  my  mind  to 
it,  but  I  don't  mind  owning  up  that  just  for  the 
moment  I'm  bothered  over  one  point  in  this  business. 
How  did  Buckley  know  about  the  hole  in  the  cliff? 
How  did  he  locate  the  exact  spot  where  the  treasure 
lies?  He  does  know,  for  he  walked  straight  up  to  it 
without  hesitation.  The  minute  he  landed  yesterday 
he  went  up  to  the  top  of  that  cliff.  I  thought  that  he 
was  just  a  simple  Member  of  Parliament  looking  for  a 
view,  but  I  was  wrong.  He  was  prospecting  about  for 
the  best  way  of  getting  at  that  hole.  Now,  how  did  he 
know  ?  We  only  arrived  at  it  by  a  process  of  exhaustive 
reasoning  based  on  a  careful  examination  of  the  locality. 


SPANISH  GOLD  117 

He  walks  straight  up  to  it  as  if  he'd  known  all  along 
exactly  where  to  go." 

"  Perhaps  he  reasoned  it  out  before  he  started." 

"  He  couldn't.  No  man  on  earth  could.  I  couldn't 
have  done  it  by  myself.  It  wasn't  till  I  got  to  the  spot 
that  I  was  able  to  reconstruct  the  shipwreck  and  track 
the  working  of  the  Spanish  captain's  mind.  That  dis- 
poses of  your  first  suggestion.  Got  another  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  his  grandfather  knew  the  spot  and  made  a 
note  of  it." 

"  Won't  wash  either.  We  know  that  his  grandfather 
couldn't  find  the  treasure  any  more  than  yours  could. 
If  he'd  known  about  that  hole  in  the  cliff  he  would  have 
found  the  treasure." 

"  Always  supposing  it's  there,"  said  the  Major. 

Meldon  glared  at  him. 

"If  it's  there !  Major,  you're  the  Apostle  Thomas 
and  the  Jew  Apella  and  the  modern  scientific  man  rolled 
into  one  for  invincible  scepticism.  Is  it  possible  to  con- 
vince you  of  anything?  Tell  me  that." 

For  a  time  they  ate  in  silence.  Now  and  then 
Meldon  glanced  at  the  cliff  opposite  to  assure  himself 
that  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  were  still  there.  At  last  he 
said — 

"  It  appears  to  me  that  Langton  must  be  mixed  up 
in  the  business  somehow.  Why  did  Sir  Giles  bring 
him?  He  isn't  any  good  at  sailing  the  boat.  He 
doesn't  look  as  if  he'd  be  much  good  for  anything.  De- 
pend upon  it,  he  must  have  given  the  tip  about  the  hole, 
but  how  he  comes  to  be  in  the  know  I  don't  precisely 
see.  However,  one  thing  is  pretty  clear.  We've  got  to 
keep  a  very  sharp  eye  on  those  two  gentlemen  oppo- 
site." 


n8  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Unless  you  mean  to  sit  here  day  and  night,"  said  the 
Major,  "  I  don't  see  how  you're  going  to  do  it." 

"  I  told  you  before  that  you  can  only  get  into  that 
hole  from  about  three-quarters  low  water  to  a  quarter 
flood.  Buckley  knows  that  too,  for  he's  seen  the  place. 
He  won't  come  here  at  high  tide  nor  yet  at  half  tide. 
What  we've  got  to  do  is  to  watch  him  at  the  other  times. 
That  gives  us  a  chance  to  eat  and  sleep." 

"  I  expect  he'll  watch  you,  too.  That  is  to  say,  if  he's 
really  after  the  treasure." 

"  Let  him.  I'll  back  myself  to  get  the  better  of  any 
man  living  at  a  game  of  hide-and-seek.  Don't  you  worry 
yourself  about  his  watching  us,  Major.  I'll  arrange  a 
plan  for  circumventing  him.  Look  at  the  way  I've  did- 
dled Higginbotham  and  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  and 
Mary  Kate.  What's  to  stop  me  dealing  with  Buckley 
on  similar  lines  ?  " 

Half  an  hour  later,  having  finished  their  luncheon  and 
smoked  their  pipes,  Major  Kent  and  Meldon  started  to 
scramble  back.  The  tide  had  risen  sufficiently  to  pre- 
vent any  one  not  an  experienced  diver  from  getting  into 
the  hole.  As  they  neared  the  pier  they  saw  Sir  Giles 
Buckley  and  his  friend  Langton  rowing  off  to  the  Aureole 
in  their  punt. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  Now  we  can  take 
it  easy  and  think  things  over  till  to-morrow  morning. 
They  won't  attempt  to  get  down  that  cliff  in  the  dark. 
Hullo!  Here's  Higginbotham  coming  out  of  his  tin 
wigwam  to  meet  us.  Do  you  know,  I  think  Higgin- 
botham is  becoming  rather  a  nuisance.  I'm  beginning 
to  feel  that  I  could  get  on  nicely  without  Higginbotham. 
I  wonder  if  we  could  get  rid  of  him  off  the  island  any- 
how?" 


SPANISH  GOLD  119 

"Unless  you  cut  his  throat  and  sink  the  body,"  said 
the  Major,  "  I  don't  see  how  you  can." 

"  I'd  be  sorry  to  do  that.  I've  rather  a  liking  for 
Higginbotham,  though  he  is  a  bit  of  an  ass.  He  used 
to  come  out  with  me  sometimes  of  a  Sunday  afternoon 
when  I  was  going  to  see  my  little  girl  in  Rathmines. 
He  used  to  talk  to  the  mother  on  those  occasions  and 
I've  always  had  a  feeling  of  gratitude  to  him  ever 
since.  No;  Higginbotham's  a  nuisance,  but  I  wouldn't 
wish  him  any  bodily  harm.  I  won't  agree  to  your 
cutting  his  throat,  Major,  so  drop  the  idea.  Besides, 
you  never  can  tell  but  he  might  come  in  useful  to  us 
in  some  way.  He's  done  us  no  harm  so  far,  thanks  to 
the  way  I've  managed  him.  Hullo,  Higginbotham! 
How  did  you  get  on  with  the  old  boy  about  the  house 
this  morning  ?  " 

"  That's  what  I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about,"  said 
Higginbotham.  "  There  was  some  sort  of  misunder- 
standing." 

"  Do  you  tell  me  that  ?  Well  now,  I'm  greatly  sur- 
prised. I  thought  I'd  left  everything  coiled  down  clear 
for  running  so  that  there  couldn't  have  been  a  hitch. 
Tell  me  now,  Higginbotham,  you  didn't  try  to  revenge 
yourself  in  any  way  on  Mary  Kate,  did  you?" 

"  Mary  Kate !  Oh,  is  she  the  little  girl  who  came  about 
the  sugar  candy  ?  " 

"  Don't  hark  back  to  that  sugar  candy.  I've  told  you 
before,  Higginbotham,  that  the  Major  and  I  aren't  going 
into  that  sugar-candy  row  either  on  one  side  or  the  other. 
We're  dead-sick  of  the  whole  subject.  You've  gone  and 
botched  a  perfectly  simple  business  with  dear  old  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat.  I  don't  know  what  you've  done  ex- 
actly, but  I  strongly  suspect  that  you've  made  yourself 


120  SPANISH  GOLD 

offensive  in  some  way  about  Mary  Kate.  Why  can't  you 
leave  that  child  alone  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  do  anything  to  her,"  said  Higginbotham. 
"  I  didn't  even  remember  that  she  was  the  same  child. 
But  what  between  nobody  except  the  old  man  being  able 
to  speak  Irish  and  him  not  being  able  to  speak  anything 
else " 

"  Now,  that's  all  nonsense,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  you 
know  it.  Mary  Kate  speaks  both  languages  fluently. 
I'm  here  acting  for  the  National  Board  of  Education, 
as  I  told  you  before,  and  I've  made  it  my  business  to 
find  out  what  Mary  Kate  knows  and  what  she  doesn't. 
You  can't  have  taken  the  child  the  right  way.  I  expect 
you've  been  trying  to  come  the  Government  official 
over  her,  and  it  won't  do.  No  child  would  stand 
it,  especially  a  high-spirited  little  creature  like  Mary 
Kate.  You  ought  to  cultivate  a  more  ingratiating  man- 
ner. You  mean  well,  I  know ;  but  good  intentions  aren't 
everything." 

"  The  fact  is "  said  Higginbotham. 

"  Look  here.  I  had  a  long  talk  this  morning  with  Sir 
Giles  Buckley.  You  know  Sir  Giles  ?  " 

"No,  I  don't.     Who  is  he?" 

"  He's  something  in  the  Castle.  I  forget  this  moment 
what  his  particular  tack  is,  but  I  know  he's  an  important 
man.  Major,  do  you  recollect  what  Sir  Giles  is?  Does 
he  run  the  Crimes'  Acts,  or  is  he  the  man  who  bosses 
the  Royal  Commissions  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     I  never " 

"  Oh,  well,  never  mind.  I  think  he  specialises,  so 
to  speak,  in  Royal  Commissions;  but  it  doesn't  really 
matter  much.  If  you  read  the  newspapers  you'll  be 
familiar  with  his  name.  He  happens  to  be  going 


SPANISH  GOLD  121 

round  Ireland  at  present  with  Langton,  his  private  secre- 
tary  " 

"  Not  Euseby  Langton  ?  "  said  Higginbotham. 

"  Euseby  Langton !  I  don't  know.  I  didn't  ask  his 
Christian  name.  By  the  way,  who  is  Euseby  Langton? 
I  seem  to  recognise  the  name,  but  somehow  I  can't  quite 
fix  the  man." 

"  I  don't  think  you  knew  him ;  but  I  did  very  well. 
He  was  in  the  library  in  College  in  our  time — some  sort 
of  an  assistant  there.  He  got  sacked.  They  always  said 
it  was  drink,  but  I  don't  know.  He  went  abroad  some- 
where afterwards." 

"  I  remember,"  said  Meldon,  "  but  this  is  a  different 
man — couldn't  possibly  be  the  same,  you  know." 

"  Well,"  said  Higginbotham,  for  Meldon  had  relapsed 
into  silence,  "  go  on." 

"Go  on  with  what?" 

"  With  what  you  were  telling  me  about  Sir  Giles  Buck- 
ley." 

"  Oh !  Ah !  yes,  Sir  Giles,  of  course.  Well,  I  put  in 
a  good  word  for  you.  I  explained  that  you  were  doing 
the  best  you  could  with  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  He 
seemed  rather  anxious  about  that  business.  I  said  I 
expected  it  would  pan  out  right  enough  in  the  end  if 
he  gave  you  a  free  hand.  He  evidently  had  some  no- 
tion of  stepping  in  to  settle  it  himself.  Now,  what  I 
want  to  know  is  this:  Would  you  like  him  to  try  his 
hand  at  it,  or  would  you  rather  he  left  you  alone  to  work 
it  in  your  own  way  ?  " 

"  Of  course  if  Sir  Giles — it  would  be  very  kind  of 
him " 

"  Very  well.  I'll  arrange  that.  You  leave  it  to  me, 
Higginbotham.  And  for  goodness'  sake  don't  go  talk- 


122  SPANISH  GOLD 

ing  to  Sir  Giles  about  it  yourself.  You've  no  tact.  You 
know  you  haven't.  You'd  just  put  your  foot  into  it  again 
the  way  you  did  with  Mary  Kate." 

"  I  won't  go  near  him  till  you  tell  me." 

"  That's  right.  Stick  to  that.  I'll  see  him  as  soon  as 
I  can  and  I'll  let  you  know.  Goodbye  for  the  present, 
old  chap." 

"  Thanks  awfully,  Meldon.  I'm  really  more  obliged 
to  you  than  I  can  say.  If  ever  I  can  do  you  a  good  turn 
of  any  sort " 

"  Don't  mention  it.  I'm  only  delighted  to  do  what  I 
can  to  help  you.  Goodbye." 

After  dinner  Major  Kent  and  Meldon  sat  on  the  deck 
of  the  Spindrift  and  smoked.  On  the  deck  of  the  Aureole 
sat  Sir  Giles  Buckley  and  Langton,  who  also  smoked. 
Neither  party  made  any  attempt  to  go  on  shore.  The' 
Major  tried  two  or  three  times  to  start  a  conversation 
and  was  severely  snubbed.  Meldon  declared  that  he 
wanted  time  to  think  things  over  quietly.  The  situation 
was  obviously  a  difficult  one,  and  frivolous  talk  on  such 
subjects  as  a  slight  fall  of  the  barometer  or  the  possibil- 
ity of  getting  some  fresh  milk  was  quite  out  of  place. 
After  finishing  his  pipe,  the  Major  dropped  off  to  sleep 
in  an  uncomfortable  position.  At  about  half-past  five! 
Meldon  woke  him  up. 

"  I  think  I've  fixed  that  fellow  Langton,"  he  said. 

The  Major  yawned. 

"  Have  you  ? "  he  said.  "  What  have  you  done  to 
him?" 

"  I  haven't  done  anything  to  him  yet.  What  I  mean 
is  that  I've  discovered  where  he  comes  in,  how  he  hap- 
pened to  be  in  a  position  to  gives  Sir  Giles  the  tip  about 
the  hole  under  the  cliff.  You  heard  what  Higginbotham 


SPANISH  GOLD  123 

said  about  Euseby  Langton.  Well,  I  recollect  that  this 
fellow  signed  the  agreement  I  drew  up  about  the 
Aureole  'E.  Langton.'  He's  evidently  Higginbotham's 
man." 

"  He  might  not  be,"  said  the  Major.  " '  E.  Langton  * 
might  stand  for  Edward  Langton  or  Edgar  Langton  or 
Ethelbert  Langton." 

"It  might  stand  for  Ebenezer  Ledbeater,  but  I'm 
pretty  sure  it  doesn't.  It  stands  for  Euseby  Langton. 
Euseby  Langton  got  the  sack  for  drink,  and  this  fellow 
looks  as  if  he  drank  a  lot,  which  also  goes  to  show  that 
he's  the  same  man." 

"  Well,  suppose  he  is  ?  " 

"The  next  point  is  where  did  Euseby  Langton  get 
sacked  from  ?  " 

"  I  forget.     I  wasn't  listening  to  Higginbotham." 

"Well,  luckily  enough  I  was.  Euseby  Langton  got 
sacked  from  Trinity  College  Library.  He  had  some 
sort  of  job  there  poking  about  among  catalogues  and 
things.  Now  you  may  not  be  aware,  Major,  of  the  fact 
that  Trinity  College  Library  is  the  biggest  in  the  world. 
There  are  books  in  it  that  no  man  has  ever  read. 
Nobody  could.  I  couldn't  myself,  even  if  I  gave  my 
whole  time  to  nothing  else.  What's  to  hinder  our 
friend  Langton  from  picking  up  the  tip  about  the 
place  where  the  treasure  is  from  some  book  in  the 
library?" 

"  There's  no  such  book." 

"  I  wouldn't  be  too  sure  of  that.  There  are  some 
extraordinary  books  in  that  library — books  that  aren't 
in  the  college  course  anywhere — that  even  the  men  who 
go  in  for  honours  know  nothing  about.  Besides,  it 
mightn't  be  a  book  exactly.  It  might  be  a  manuscript 


124  SPANISH  GOLD 

— not  a  large  illuminated  missal  of  a  thing  stuck  in 
a  glass  case  for  every  fool  to  stare  at,  but  some  quiet, 
unobtrusive,  rather  tattered  manuscript  which  had  lain 
for  years,  perhaps  centuries,  under  a  pile  of  other  manu- 
scripts. That's  the  sort  of  place  the  information  would 
be." 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  could." 

"  It  might,  in  fact,  be  the  log  of  the  Spanish  cap- 
tain himself.  You  know  there's  an  organ  in  the  big 
examination  hall  that  was  taken  out  of  a  Spanish  Armada 
ship.  Well,  if  they  fetched  a  thing  like  an  organ  all 
the  way  to  the  college,  you  may  be  pretty  sure  that 
they  fetched  lots  of  manuscripts  too.  Once  Euseby 
Langton  got  a  taste  for  hunting  up  old  manuscripts  he'd 
be  just  as  likely  as  not  to  hit  upon  the  log  of  our  cap- 
tain." 

"  But  you  said  he  drank.  Is  it  likely  he  had  a  taste 
for  manuscripts?" 

"  He's  almost  sure  to  have  had.  Most  probably  it 
was  the  manuscripts  that  drove  him  to  drink.  They 
would,  you  know,  unless  he  was  exceptionally  strong 
minded,  and  Langton  clearly  wasn't  that.  Now  sup- 
pose— 

"  You  can  suppose  any  rigmarole  you  like." 

"  I  explained  to  you  before,  Major,  the  nature  of  a 
scientific  supposition  or  hypothesis.  It  always  strikes 
the  outsider  at  first  as  a  rigmarole.  I  needn't  go  into 
that  again.  What  we  have  to  deal  with  is  fact — hard 
fact — and  to  get  some  sort  of  reasonable  explanation  of 
things  as  they  are.  It's  quite  evident  that  Sir  Giles  and 
Langton  know  that  the  treasure  is  in  the  hole  under  that 
cliff.  It's  also  evident  that  Langton  gave  Sir  Giles  the 
tip.  It  follows  that  Langton  must  have  found  the  thing 


SPANISH  GOLD  125 

out  somewhere.  I  don't  say  for  certain  that  he  found 
it  in  a  manuscript  in  the  college  library.  I  only  say  that, 
considering  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  he's  more 
likely  to  have  found  it  there  than  anywhere  else.  That 
may  not  strike  you  as  a  very  good  hypothesis;  but  un- 
less you  have  a  better  one  to  propose,  it  seems  to  me  quite 
good  enough  to  go  on  with." 

"  All  right,  go  on  with  it.  But  I  don't  see  where  you 
expect  to  arrive," 

"  I'll  arrive,  if  you  want  to  know,  at  a  nice  comfort- 
able income  and  a  good,  well-furnished  house,  a  place  I 
can  take  my  little  girl  to  with  some  sort  of  satisfaction. 
That's  where  I'll  arrive  and  I'm  putting  the  treasure  at 
the  lowest  possible  figure." 


CHAPTER  X 

MELDON  was  very  little  troubled  by  the  prob- 
lems and  perplexities  which  pressed  on  him. 
He  turned  into  his  bunk  at  nine  o'clock  and  slept  the 
unbroken  sleep  of  a  just  man  until  six  the  next  morn- 
ing. Then  he  got  up  and  plunged  overboard  for 
his  morning  dip.  He  swam  in  the  direction  of  the 
Aureole  and  was  rewarded  by  seeing  Langton  come 
on  deck  in  his  pyjamas.  A  few  minutes  later  Sir 
Giles  emerged,  and  the  two  stood  in  consultation  watch- 
ing the  Spindrift.  Meldon,  having  had  as  much  of 
the  water  as  he  cared  for,  climbed  on  board  and 
waved  a  greeting  to  the  Aureole  with  his  towel.  He 
noticed  while  he  dressed  that  Sir  Giles  and  Lang- 
ton  did  not  go  below  together.  Either  one  or  the  other 
of  them  remained  on  deck  to  watch  the  Spindrift. 
Meldon  roused  the  Major  and  then  got  breakfast  ready. 
The  meal,  in  spite  of  the  Major's  opposition,  was  eaten 
on  deck. 

"  It's  quite  evident  to  me,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  those 
fellows  mean  to  watch  us.  They're  pretty  certain  that 
we're  after  the  treasure,  and  they  don't  intend  to  let  us 
get  round  to  the  hole  in  the  cliff  without  them." 

Major  Kent  snorted  contemptuously.  He,  too,  had 
slept  well  and  had  wakened  in  one  of  those  moods  of 

126 


SPANISH  GOLD  127 

sound  common  sense  which  are  strongest  in  men  of 
Anglo-Saxon  temperament  during  the  early  part  of  the 
day.  The  idea  of  treasure-seeking  seemed  to  him  more 
than  ever  absurd  as  he  sat  in  the  morning  sunshine 
eating  fried  bacon  and  drinking  tea.  That  two  strangers 
in  an  ordinary  and  somewhat  battered  yacht  like  the 
Aureole  should  be  spying  upon  his  actions,  as  if  he 
and  they  were  conspirators,  was  a  grotesquely  impos- 
sible thought.  Such  things  might  have  happened  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  or  might  happen  even  now 
in  places  like  Russia.  They  couldn't  be  real  during  the 
twentieth  century  anywhere  in  the  dominions  of  His 
Britannic  Majesty. 

"  I  must  make  arrangements  for  dealing  with  them," 
said  Meldon. 

"J.  J.,"  said  the  Major,  with  another  snort  of 
contempt,  "  I've  had  enough  of  this  play-acting. 
You  and  I  aren't  children  that  we  should  spend  our 
time  pretending  we  are  brigands  and  hunting  other  fel- 
lows about  in  smugglers'  caves.  I'll  have  no  more  of 
it." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  don't  believe  those 
two  fellows  are  watching  us,  afraid  of  their  lives  that 
we  should  succeed  in  dodging  them  and  getting  the  treas- 
ure?" 

"  Of  course  I  don't  believe  anything  of  the  sort.  It's 
absurd  on  the  face  of  it.  I  don't  deny  that  it  was  odd 
their  turning  up  yesterday  at  the  very  place  you  fancied 
there  was  treasure  hidden;  but  as  for  their  being  after 
it  or  watching  us,  I  simply  don't  and  won't  and  can't 
believe  a  word  of  it." 

"  Very  well.     I'll  have  to  prove  it  to  you." 

"  You'd  prove  anything,"  said  the  Major — "  any  blessed 


128  SPANISH  GOLD 

thing,  once  you  start  talking,  but  you  won't  convince  me. 
I've  heard  too  many  of  your  proofs." 

"  I'll  prove  it  this  time  by  the  evidence  of  your  own 
eyes  and  ears.  You  say  that  Sir  Giles  and  Langton 
aren't  watching  us  and  don't  mean  to  track  us  if  we  go 
after  the  treasure.  Very  well,  I'll  demonstrate  to  you 
that  they  are  and  do." 

He  stood  up  and  hauled  the  punt  alongside. 

"  Get  in,"  he  said  to  the  Major. 

"  Why  should  I  get  in  ?  I  don't  want  to  go 
ashore." 

"  You'll  get  in  because  I  tell  you  and  because  once 
for  all  you're  going  to  be  shaken  out  of  that  vile  atti- 
tude of  sceptical  superiority  which  you've  chosen  to  as- 
sume." 

Major  Kent  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  submitted. 
Meldon  stepped  into  the  punt  after  him  and  began  pad- 
dling towards  the  pier. 

There  was  a  stir  on  board  the  Aureole.  Langton  was 
on  watch  when  Meldon  shoved  off  from  the  Spindrift. 
He  went  below  at  once.  Then  he  and  Sir  Giles  came 
on  deck  together  and  pulled  their  punt  alongside.  Mel- 
don, who  could  watch  the  Aureole  as  he  rowed,  judged 
from  the  look  on  his  face  that  Sir  Giles  Buckley  was  in 
a  bad  temper. 

"  I'd  be  prepared  to  bet  now,"  he  said,  "  that  Sir  Giles 
is  swearing  like  anything  this  minute.  I  expect  he  hadn't 
finished  his  breakfast  and  hates  being  routed  out  at  this 
hour  to  follow  us.  Don't  you  look  round,  Major.  If 
you  do  it's  ten  to  one  you  upset  this  patent  punt,  and  I 
shouldn't  care  to  rely  on  Sir  Giles  to  pick  you  up  in  his 
present  mood." 

Having  reached  the  pier,  Meldon,  followed  unwillingly 


SPANISH  GOLD  129 

by  Major  Kent,  set  out  briskly  towards  the  south  end  of 
the  island. 

"  Where  are  we  going  now  ?  "  asked  the  Major. 

"  We're  going  to  convince  you.  If  you  don't  like  it, 
you  can  lay  the  blame  on  your  own  sceptical  nature. 
Look  round  now  and  tell  me  if  the  other  two  aren't  fol- 
lowing us." 

They  were.  The  Major  unwillingly  admitted  the 
fact. 

"  They're  certainly  coming  this  way,"  he  said.  "  But 
I  don't  see  why  you  should  take  it  for  granted  that  they're 
tracking  us." 

"  Come  on,"  said  Meldon. 

He  reached  the  house  of  the  woman  to  whom  he  had 
talked  on  the  occasion  of  his  second  interview  with  Mary 
Kate.  He  tapped  at  the  door  and  entered,  dragging  the 
Major  after  him. 

"  Good-morning  to  you,  Mrs.  O'Flaherty,"  he  said. 
"  I'm  glad  to  see  the  baby  looking  well." 

"  He's  finely,  thanks  be  to  God." 

"Do  you  happen  to  want  to  have  him  vaccinated  or 
anything  of  that  sort  ?  " 

"  I  do  not." 

"  I  dare  say  you're  right.  I  asked  the  question  be- 
cause there's  a  gentleman  coming  along  this  way  in  a 
few  minutes  who's  a  great  doctor.  He's  on  his  holiday, 
of  course;  but  I'm  sure  he'd  vaccinate  a  fine  boy  like 
yours  if  you  asked  him  to." 

"  Would  he  give  me  a  bottle  for  the  old  woman,  do 
you  think  ?  " 

"  He  would,  of  course.  What's  the  matter  with 
her?" 

"  She's  ravelling  in  her  talk  this  long  time,  and  sorra 


130  SPANISH  GOLD 

the  bit  she'll  stir  out  of  her  bed,  and  me  with  all  the  work 
to  do  and  never  a  one  to  give  me  a  hand." 

"  That's  the  very  sort  of  case  this  doctor  likes  best. 
Come  along  with  me  now  and  we'll  speak  to  him.  But 
don't  be  calling  him  '  doctor '  to  his  face.  It's  a  kind  of 
lord  he  is.  Call  him  '  Sir  Giles '  when  you  speak  to 
him." 

Meldon,  Mrs.  O'Flaherty  with  her  baby  in  her  arms1, 
and  Major  Kent,  who  lingered  a  little  behind,  set  out  to 
meet  Sir  Giles  and  Langton. 

"  Good-morning,  Sir  Giles,"  said  Meldon.  "  Good- 
morning,  Mr.  Langton.  You  got  home  safe  yesterday 
off  that  cliff?  That's  right.  Take  my  advice  and  don't 
risk  it  again.  There  isn't  a  bird's  egg  in  the  world  worth 
a  broken  neck.  Do  you  happen  to  have  a  bottle  about 
you?" 

Sir  Giles  scowled.  Meldon's  good-humoured  greeting 
evidently  irritated  him. 

"  No,"  he  said.     "  I  haven't." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Meldon,  "  it  can't  be  helped.  I  dare 
say  you  have  one  on  the  yacht." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you're  talking  about,"  said  Sir 
Giles.  "  Do  you,  Langton  ?  " 

"  Damned  if  I  do,"  said  Langton.  "  What  are  you 
talking  about,  eh  ?  " 

"  Bottles,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  was  asking  if  you  had 
a  bottle  on  the  yacht." 

"  What  the  devil  is  it  to  you  whether  I  have  or  not  ?  " 
said  Sir  Giles. 

"  Oh,  nothing  to  me — nothing  whatever — only  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty  wants  a  bottle  for  her  old  mother-in-law. 
Isn't  that  so,  Mrs.  O'Flaherty?  " 

"  It    is,    your    honour.    It    is,    Sir    Giles.    The    old 


SPANISH  GOLD  131 

woman's  ravelling  in  her  talk  this  long  time,  and  what's 
more,  she  won't  stir  out  of  her  bed ;  and  if  your  honour 
would  give  her  a  bottle 

"  Come  now,"  said  Meldon,  "  you  won't  refuse  her, 
Sir  Giles.  It's  a  small  request.  What's  a  bottle  to  you 
one  way  or  another  ?  Slip  back  to  the  yacht  and  get  her 
one.  It  won't  take  you  an  hour.  The  Major  and  I  will 
wait  about  till  you  come  back." 

He  winked  at  the  Major  as  he  spoke — a  large  obvious 
wink,  which  neither  Sir  Giles  nor  Langton  could  fail  to 
notice. 

"  Now  look  here,  Mr.  John  James  Meldon "  said 

Sir  Giles. 

"Joseph  John,"  said  Meldon,  "not  that  it  matters; 
only  just  in  case  anything  should  turn  up  afterwards, 
it's  as  well  to  be  accurate." 

"  I  really  don't  know,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  whether 
you're  more  knave  or  fool,  but  if  you  think  you're 
going  to  send  me  back  to  the  yacht  on  a  hunt  after 
a  bottle  or  some  such  ridiculous  thing  while  you  go 
round  the  base  of  the  cliffs  again,  you're  greatly  mis- 
taken." 

"  Mrs.  O'Flaherty,"  said  Meldon,  "  Sir  Giles's  temper 
is  a  little  short  this  morning,  but  he's  a  good  man  at 
heart.  Try  him  for  the  bottle  again  to-morrow  and  you'll 
very  likely  get  one.  Good-morning,  Sir  Giles.  Good- 
morning,  Mr.  Langton.  This  is  better  than  grubbing 
about  among  fusty  old  manuscripts  in  the  College  library, 
isn't  it?  Come  along,  Major.  We'll  be  getting 
back." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Major  Kent,  when  they  reached 
the  pier,  "  that  there  wouldn't  be  any  use  in  my  asking 
for  an  explanation  of  that  performance?" 


132  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  told  you  before  I  started,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  I 
was  going  to  offer  you  ocular  and  oral  demonstration  that 
those  fellows  mean  to  track  us,  and  won't  let  us  stir  in 
the  direction  of  the  cliffs  without  them.  Now  you've 
got  it.  I  hope  you're  convinced." 

"  Couldn't  you  have  done  it  without  that  bottle  fool- 
ery?" 

"Well,  I  might.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Major,  the 
bottle  incident  was  not  part  of  my  original  plan.  It's 
what  I  call  a  brilliant  improvisation.  It  came  on  me 
like  a  flash  when  I  saw  that  plump  baby  of  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty's,  and  thought  how  the  poor  little  beggar 
had  never  been  vaccinated.  It  developed  in  my  mind 
when  she  began  talking  about  her  mother-in-law. 
After  that  the  thing  simply  worked  itself  out,  and 
worked  well.  I  don't  take  any  credit  for  it,  not  the 
least.  But  I'm  rather  pleased  with  the  results.  In  the 
first  place  I've  convinced  Sir  Giles  that  I'm  a  perfect 
fool." 

"  He's  not  far  out  if  he  believes  that." 

"  Whether  he  is  or  not,  Major,  remains  to  be  seen. 
In  the  second  place  I've  convinced  you  that  he  and  Lang- 
ton  mean  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  us,  which  was  the 
thing  I  set  out  to  do  originally.  I  have  convinced  you, 
haven't  I?" 

"  I  think  you're  all  mad  together,"  said  the  Major. 
"  I  don't  understand  what's  going  on  between  you." 

"  You  mean  that  you  won't  understand.  You  could,  of 
course,  if  you  liked." 

"  What  do  you  intend  to  do  now  ?  " 

"  For  the  present,  nothing.  When  the  time  comes 
for  eluding  the  vigilance  of  Sir  Giles,  I'll  elude  it.  There 
will  be  difficulties,  of  course.  Higginbotham  will  be  a 


SPANISH  GOLD  133 

difficulty — so,  very  likely,  will  Mary  Kate.  In  the  mean- 
while we'll  sit  down  here  and  wait  till  the  tide  rises 
and  makes  it  impossible  to  get  at  the  treasure.  They 
are  watching  us  from  the  hill  beyond  there.  I  don't  be- 
lieve they  mean  to  try  for  it  themselves  to-day.  Now 
I  come  to  think  of  it,  they  can't;  for  they  didn't  bring 
the  rope  with  them.  Come  along,  Major,  we  may  safely 
go  back  on  board." 

"  This,"  said  Meldon,  as  he  paddled  the  collapsible 
punt  towards  the  Spindrift,  "  is  out-and-away  the 
best  holiday  I've  ever  had.  I  tell  you,  Major,  it's 
fine." 

"  I'm  glad  you're  enjoying  yourself.  Sure  you 
wouldn't  like  to  slip  off  home  and  take  out  the  rest  of 
your  time  with  your  little  girl  ?  " 

"  I  wouldn't  leave  the  treasure,"  said  Meldon,  "  at  this 
stage  of  the  proceedings,  not  if  Gladys  Muriel  went  down 
on  her  bended  knees  to  beg  me.  I  wouldn't  do  it  even 
if  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  weren't  here.  Now  that  they 
have  come,  and  added  a  spice  of  real  adventure  to  the 
hunt,  I  wouldn't  go  away  to  marry  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  I'm  enjoying 
myself." 

There  was  no  doubt  that  Meldon  spoke  the  literal 
truth.  Excitement  and  pleasure  beamed  from  his  very- 
eyes.  He  sent  the  Major  to  get  the  dinner  ready  while 
he  lay  on  deck,  and  with  his  eye  just  over  the  low 
gunwale  of  the  yacht,  watched  Sir  Giles  and  Langton 
row  back  to  the  Aureole  in  their  punt.  He  ate  his  din- 
ner hurriedly,  breaking  in  upon  the  meal  at  short  intervals 
to  mount  the  companion-ladder  and  take  a  look  at  the 
'Aureole. 

"  Patience  and  calm,"  he  said  after  one  of  these  ex- 


134  SPANISH  GOLD 

cursions,  "  are  the  great  things  after  all.  There's  a 
French  proverb  about  getting  a  thing  in  the  end  if  you 
only  wait  quietly." 

"  I  suppose  you  think  you're  practising  those  virtues 
now,"  said  the  Major. 

"  I  know  I  am.  A  man  with  less  self-control  would 
have  darted  off  to  the  cave  this  morning  and  probably 
had  a  free-fight  with  Sir  Giles,  which  would  have  ended 
in  Higginbotham  taking  possession  of  the  treasure  in 
the  name  of  the  Government.  Whereas  I  sit  here  quietly 
and  wait  for  the  next  move  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy." 

"  Oh,  that's  the  game  now,  is  it  ?  " 

"  That's  the  game.  Let  Sir  Giles  show  his  hand  and 
I'll  deal  with  him." 

For  some  time  it  appeared  that  Sir  Giles  also 
intended  to  play  a  waiting  game.  He  and  Euseby 
Langton  sat  on  the  deck  of  the  Aureole  and  watched 
the  spindrift.  They  gazed  at  Meldon  and  the  Major 
through  binoculars  when  they  had  seen  all  they  could 
with  the  unassisted  eye.  Meldon,  in  return,  got  out 
a  pair  of  glasses  and  stared  at  them.  The  afternoon 
became  very  hot.  The  water  of  the  bay  lay  in  an  un- 
broken sheet  around  the  boats,  and  glowed  a  sullen  reflec- 
tion of  the  light.  The  Major  fetched  some  cushions  from 
the  cabin,  made  himself  really  comfortable,  and  went  to 
sleep. 

At  about  four  o'clock  there  was  a  stir  on  board  the 
Aureole.  Langton  dragged  the  punt  alongside.  He 
and  Sir  Giles  got  into  her  and  pulled  for  the  shore. 
Meldon,  watching  them  intently  through  his  glasses, 
observed  that  they  took  no  rope  with  them.  He  made 
up  his  mind  that  they  did  not  intend  to  descend  the 


SPANISH  GOLD  135 

cliff.  The  tide  was  still  too  high  to  permit  of  any  one 
entering  the  hole.  Yet  it  seemed  evident  to  Meldon 
that  this  expedition  to  the  shore  must  have  some 
object.  He  became  very  anxious  to  discover  what 
they  were  at.  It  was  easy  enough  to  row  on  shore 
after  them  and  then  follow  them,  as  they  had  followed 
him  in  the  morning.  But  he  realised  that  on  an  island 
without  trees  or  hedges  it  would  be  totally  impossible 
to  follow  them  without  himself  being  seen ;  and  their 
plan,  whatever  it  was,  would  certainly  not  be  carried 
out  before  his  eyes.  Scanning  the  land  with  his 
glasses,  he  detected  Mary  Kate  sitting  in  the  shade  of 
Higginbotham's  house  to  watch  the  strangers  land.  His 
mind  was  made  up  in  a  moment.  He  shook  the  Ma- 
jor. 

"  Give  me  another  sixpence,"  he  said ;  "  I'm  going 
ashore." 

"  My  money's  in  the  pocket  of  my  other  trousers,"  said 
the  Major ;  "  and  they're  hanging  beside  my  bunk.  Take 
what  you  want  and  for  Heaven's  sake  leave  me  to  have 
my  sleep  in  peace.  It's  the  only  comfort  I  get  since  I 
came  to  this  island." 

Meldon  made  all  the  speed  he  could  in  the  canvas 
punt,  a  craft  singularly  ill-suited  to  a  man  in  a  hurry. 
He  reached  the  pier  shortly  after  Sir  Giles  and  Lang- 
ton  had  landed.  Mary  Kate,  who  had  hesitated  for  some 
time  between  the  desire  to  follow  the  strangers  and  the 
hope  of  another  sixpence  from  the  approaching  Meldon, 
was  on  the  pier  to  meet  him.  She  grinned  amiably  when 
he  greeted  her. 

"  Mary  Kate,"  he  said,  "  I've  got  another  sixpence  for 
you.  You'll  be  the  richest  girl  in  the  island  in  a  few  days 
if  this  goes  on." 


I36  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  will  so."     She  spoke  in  a  tone  of  conviction. 

"  Well  now,  go  you  up  after  those  two  gentlemen 
and  just  watch  what  they  do.  You  needn't  go  too  close 
to  them.  And,  listen  to  me  now:  if  it  should  happen 
that  they  speak  to  you,  just  you  take  a  leaf  out  of  your 
grandda's  book  and  answer  them  in  Irish,  '  Ni  Beurla ' — 
what  do  you  call  it?  You  know  how  to  do  it,  don't 
you?" 

Mary  Kate  nodded.  The  instructions  were  not  abso- 
lutely lucid,  but  she  grasped  their  meaning. 

"  Not  another  word  out  of  your  head  now,  mind  that. 
And  look  as  stupid  as  you  can.  I'll  run  down  and  pay 
a  visit  to  your  aunt.  Isn't  she  your  aunt  ?  " 

"  She  is  not." 

"  Well,  you  know  who  I  mean,  anyhow.  Mrs. 
O 'Flaherty  beyond  there,  the  one  that  owns  the  baby 
with  the  nice  fat  legs.  You  drop  down  there  as  soon 
as  ever  those  two  gentlemen  go  back  to  their  yacht,  and 
tell  me  what  they've  been  doing.  I  needn't  explain  to 
you,  Mary  Kate,  that  I  wouldn't  be  setting  you  on  a 
job  of  this  kind  if  those  two  fellows  weren't  a  pair 
of  bad  ones.  The  fact  is  they're  land-grabbers — the 
worst  kind  of  land-grabbers.  That  will  probably  con- 
vey to  you  better  than  anything  else  the  sort  of  fellows 
they  really  are." 

He  noticed  that  Mary  Kate's  attention  had  wandered, 
but  he  continued  speaking  for  his  own  satisfaction. 

"If  that  isn't  exactly  the  literal  truth,  as  people  like 
the  Major  would  say,  it's  the  nearest  thing  to  the  truth 
that  you're  at  all  likely  to  understand.  It  will  convey 
to  you  a  perfectly  true  idea  of  the  character  of  the  men. 
You  understand  what  I  mean,  Mary  Kate,  when  I  say 
they're  land-grabbers,  don't  you  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD  137 

The  child  wasn't  listening  to  him.  Her  eyes  were 
on  the  now  distant  figures  of  Sir  Giles  and  Langton. 
Even  if  she  had  listened,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
word  "  land-grabber  "  would  have  conveyed  anything  to 
her.  Politicians  rarely,  if  ever,  visit  Inishgowlan,  and 
the  people,  even  the  grown  men,  are  uninstructed  in  the 
simple  principles  of  modern  nationalism.  It  had  never 
been  worth  the  while,  even  of  a  publican,  to  grab  the 
land  on  Inishgowlan.  In  any  case,  whether  she  had  un- 
derstood him  or  not,  Meldon's  motives  for  having  the 
strangers  watched  would  not  have  interested  Mary  Kate. 
It  was  sufficient  for  her  that  she  was  to  be  paid  sixpence 
for  doing  what  natural  curiosity  would  have  prompted 
her  to  do  without  a  bribe. 

Mrs.  O'Flaherty  seemed  surprised  to  see  Meldon. 
She  was  churning,  plunging  up  and  down  an  old- 
fashioned  dash  in  the  most  primitive  kind  of  churn. 
She  was  dressed  in  a  sleeveless  garment,  tucked  in  to 
an  old  red  petticoat  which  seemed  likely,  as  her  body 
swayed,  to  work  its  fastenings  loose  and  fall  off.  Drops 
of  milk,  splashed  from  the  churn,  bespattered  her.  She 
was  exceedingly  hot,  partly  from  her  exertion,  partly 
•with  annoyance  at  the  lamentable  howls  of  her  baby,  who 
had  of  necessity  been  left  to  the  care  of  the  old  woman 
in  the  room  off  the  kitchen.  She  was  at  first  far  from 
being  well  pleased  at  seeing  a  visitor.  She  was  not,  in- 
deed, embarrassed  by  the  scantiness  of  her  costume,  but 
she  foresaw  that  in  mere  politeness  she  might  be  obliged 
to  stop  churning,  and  to  stop  at  a  certain  stage  of  the 
process  is  fatal  to  the  production  of  butter.  Meldon's 
first  words  reassured  her. 

"  Give  me  the  dash,"  he  said,  "  and  go  you  in  and  get 
the  baby." 


138  SPANISH  GOLD! 

"  I  will  not,"  she  said.  "  I'd  be  spoiling  your  good 
clothes  on  you  if  I  let  you  do  the  like  of  this  work." 

"  Did  you  never  hear  that  there's  no  luck  when 
the  stranger  that  comes  in  doesn't  put  a  hand  to  the 
churn  ?  " 

"  Faith,  and  that's  true.  But  who'd  think  of  the  likes 
of  you  knowing  it  ?  " 

"  I  know  more  than  that,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  know 
things  that  would  surprise  you  now,  wise  as  you  are. 
Give  me  the  dash,  I  say." 

He  took  it  from  her  and  began  to  work  vigorously. 
Mrs.  O'Flaherty  watched  him. 

"  Maybe  now  it  isn't  the  first  time  you've  done  that," 
she  said. 

"  It  is  not,  nor  the  second.  But  go  you  and  take  your 
baby.  The  shouts  of  him  is  enough  to  stop  the  butter 
coming." 

She  returned  in  a  few  minutes  with  the  child,  quickly 
pacified,  in  her  arms. 

"Where's  himself?"  said  Meldon.  "Why  wouldn't 
he  be  giving  you  a  hand  at  this  work  ?  " 

"  Sure  he  does  do  a  turn  for  me  odd  times,  when  he 
wouldn't  be  earthing  up  the  potatoes,  or  saving  the  hay, 
or  burning  the  kelp  or  the  like  of  that." 

Meldon  began  to  feel  hot. 

"  The  butter's  a  mighty  long  time  coming,"  he  said. 

"  You  may  say  that.  Whether  it's  the  warmth  of  the 
day  or  maybe — but  sure  you're  tired.  It's  terrible  hard 
work  for  them  that's  not  used  to  it.  "Give  it  up  to  me 
now." 

"  Very  well ;  I'll  have  a  try  at  the  baby.  Come  here 
to  me,  Anthony  Tom.  Did  you  say  Anthony  Tom  was 
the  name  you  had  on  him  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD 


139 


"  It  is  not,  then,  but  Michael  Pat." 

Meldon  took  Michael  Pat  in  his  arms.  He  was  very 
successful  as  a  nurse,  but  he  found  the  work  almost  as 
hot  as  the  churning.  Michael  Pat  had  reached  the  age 
at  which  happiness  is  found  in  perpetual  motion,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  keep  on  jumping  him  up  and 
down. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  Meldon  at  last.  "  I'd 
rather  be  saving  hay  or  burning  kelp,  or  doing  any 
other  mortal  thing,  than  trying  to  mind  a  baby  and 
make  butter  at  the  same  time.  Men  have  a  much  bet- 
ter time  of  it  than  women  as  things  are  arranged  at 
present." 

"  They  might,"  said  Mrs.  O'Flaherty,  "  but  what  would 
they  be  doing  if  it  wasn't  for  the  women  ?  " 

"  That's  true,"  said  Meldon ;  "  but  it  isn't  saying  that 
men  don't  have  the  best  of  it." 

"  And  for  the  matter  of  that,  how  would  the  women 
get  along  wanting  the  men  ?  " 

"  There's  something  in  that,  too." 

"  Sure,  God  is  good,  and  the  troubles  He  does  be 
sending  is  no  worse  for  me  than  another.  If  so  be  that 
Michael  Pat  doesn't  be  cutting  or  burning  himself  when 
I  have  him  reared  to  be  out  of  my  arms,  I've  no  cause 
to  be  complaining.  And  himself  is  a  good  head  to 
me." 

Meldon  danced  Michael  Pat  vigorously.  The  sweat 
ran  down  his  face,  but  he  stuck  to  his  work,  realising 
more  and  more  clearly  the  strenuousness  of  a  woman's 
life.  At  last  he  spoke  again,  jerkily  for  want  of  breath. 

"  Mrs.  O'Flaherty,  ma'am,  tell  me  this.  Is  there  e'er 
a  branch  of  the  Woman's  Suffrage  Association  in  this 
island?" 


140  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  never  heard  tell  of  any  such  a  thing." 

"  Well,  take  my  advice.  Found  one  at  once.  It 
may  not  do  you  much  good,  but  it  will  relieve  your 
feelings.  You're  suffering  under  an  intolerable  injus- 
tice." 

"Is  it  the  Government  you  mean?"  said  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty,  whose  husband  occasionally  read  a  copy  of 
the  Ballymoy  Tribune. 

"  It  is  not ;  it's  the  men.  What  you  want  is  what's 
called  sexuo-economic  independence  of  women.  Just 
wipe  Michael  Pat's  mouth  with  something,  will  you.  I 
haven't  a  handkerchief  on  me,  and  he's  dribbling  worse 
than  I  could  have  believed  possible." 

The  half-door  of  the  cabin  was  pushed  open,  and 
Mary  Kate  entered.  At  the  sight  of  Meldon  with 
Michael  Pat  in  his  arms  she  stood  still  and  grinned 
broadly. 

"  Thank  God !  "  said  Meldon  fervently.  "  Come  here, 
Mary  Kate.  Sit  down  on  the  creepy  stool  there  by  the 
hearth  and  take  the  baby." 

Mary  Kate  hung  back,  still  grinning. 

"  Do  what  the  gentleman  bids  you,"  said  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty. 

Mary  Kate  obeyed  reluctantly.  She  foresaw  that  it 
might  be  very  difficult  for  her  to  escape  from  Michael 
Pat  if  she  once  accepted  the  charge  of  him.  She  had  the 
makings  of  a  feminist  in  her.  She  valued  her  independ- 
ence. 

"  Tell  me  now,"  said  Meldon,  "  did  you  do  what  I 
bid  you?" 

"  I  did,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

"  And  have  the  gentlemen  gone  back  to  the  yacht?  " 

"  They're  after  going  this  minute," 


SPANISH  GOLD  141 

"  And  where  were  they  ?  " 

"  Beyond." 

"  Listen  to  me  now,  Mary  Kate.  I'm  not  going  to 
spend  the  rest  of  the  day  dragging  information  out  of 
you  as  if  each  word  you  say  is  a  tooth  that  it  hurts  you 
to  part  with.  Tell  me  now  straight,  and  no  more  non- 
sense— where  did  they  go  ?  " 

"  It's  yourself  that's  the  stubborn  little  lady,"  said 
Mrs.  O'Flaherty.  "  Why  wouldn't  you  be  speaking  to 
the  gentleman  when  he  wants  to  be  listening  to 
you?" 

"  They  were  up  beyond  at  my  grandda's." 

"  At  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's !  Were  they  talking  to 
him?" 

"  They  were  not,  then,  for  himself  wasn't  in  it." 

"  What  were  they  doing  ?  " 

"  Looking  at  the  Poll-na-phuca." 

"At  the  what?" 

"  That's  the  hole  that  there  does  be  in  the  field  back 
west  of  the  house,"  said  Mrs.  O'Flaherty.  "  Poll-na- 
phuca  is  the  name  there  does  be  on  it  on  account  of  them 
that's  in  it." 

"Is  that  all  they  did?" 

"  Sorra  a  thing  else." 

"  Well,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  beats  all.  I  must  be  get- 
ting away  now,  Mrs.  O'Flaherty.  I've  had  a  delightful 
afternoon.  Goodbye.  Goodbye,  Mary  Kate.  Be  kind 
to  Michael  Pat.  Remember  that  you  were  once  that  size! 
yourself,  and  somebody  had  to  sit  on  a  stool  and  hold 
you." 

He  walked  down  to  the  seashore,  selected  a  large] 
flat  stone,  and  sat  down  on  it.  He  was  very  mucli 
puzzled  by  the  account  which  Mary  Kate  had  giveri 


142  SPANISH  GOLD 

him  of  the  movements  of  Sir  Giles  and  Euseby 
Langton.  He  could  not  understand  why  they  had 
gone  up  to  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  cabin  or  why 
they  had  looked  at  the  hole  in  the  field.  He  recalled 
the  appearance  of  the  cabin.  It  was  a  very  dilapidated 
place,  standing  by  itself  two  fields  higher  up  than  the 
cottage  in  which  Mary  Kate's  father  lived.  He  went 
over  all  he  knew  about  the  field  with  the  hole  in  it. 
It  was,  so  Higginbotham  said,  a  very  small  and  barren 
field.  There  was  no  fence  round  the  hole;  Higgin- 
botham had  lamented  that.  A  heifer  had  fallen  into  it 
and  got  killed.  There  was  nothing,  so  far  as  he  could 
see,  which  could  possibly  interest  Sir  Giles  about  the 
cabin,  the  field,  or  the  hole.  Why  should  a  man,  out 
on  a  search  for  treasure,  care  to  view  the  scene  of  a 
heifer's  death?  A  heifer  is  not  a  very  important 
animal,  even  on  Inishgowlan.  He  recollected  that 
Poll-na-phuca  meant  the  fairy's  hole.  He  had  under- 
stood from  Higginbotham  that  the  place  was  regarded 
by  the  islanders  with  some  awe  as  the  home  of  malev- 
olent spirits.  But  this  threw  no  light  on  his  problem. 
He  could  not  suppose  that  Sir  Giles  was  an  amateur  of 
folk-lore,  so  enthusiastic  as  to  suspend  his  treasure  search 
for  the  purpose  of  investigating  a  local  superstition,  how- 
ever interesting. 

Meldon's  pipe  went  out,  half-smoked.  He  wrinkled 
his  forehead  and  half-shut  his  eyes  in  bitter  perplexity. 
It  hurt  him  that  he  could  not  understand  what  Sir 
Giles  had  been  doing.  At  last  he  rose  from  his  stone 
with  a  deep  sigh  and  walked  ten  or  fifteen  yards  along 
the  shore.  He  found  another  flat  stone  and  sat  down 
on  it.  He  knocked  the  plug  of  tobacco  out,  refilled 
his  pipe  and  lit  it.  He  deliberately  gave  up  the  problem 


SPANISH  GOLD  143 

which  he  could  not  solve,  and  set  himself  to  work  on 
another.  He  decided  that  he  must  himself  reach  the 
hole  where  the  treasure  lay  at  the  earliest  possible  mo- 
ment the  next  day,  and  that  Sir  Giles  must  be  pre- 
vented from  following  him.  He  smoked  steadily  this 
time,  and  his  face  gradually  cleared  of  the  wrinkles  the 
other  problem  had  impressed  upon  it.  At  last  he  smiled 
slightly.  Then  he  grinned.  He  knocked  the  ashes  out 
of  his  pipe  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  He  picked  up  a 
few  pebbles  and  flung  them  cheerfully  into  the  sea. 
Then  he  rose  and  walked  back  to  Mrs.  O'Flaherty's  cot- 
tage. 

The  churning  was  over.  Mrs.  O'Flaherty  was  work- 
ing the  butter  with  her  hands  at  the  table.  Mary  Kate 
still  sat  with  the  baby  on  her  knee. 

"  Good-evening  to  you,  Mrs.  O'Flaherty,"  said  Mel- 
don. 

"  Is  it  yourself  again  ?  Faith,  I  thought  you  were  gone 
for  to-day  anyway." 

"  I  looked  in  again  to  see  if  Michael  Pat  was  all  right 
after  the  shaking  I  gave  him.  Would  you  sooner  be 
churning  the  butter  or  churning  the  baby,  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty?  Or  would  you  rather  be  taking  them  in 
turns  the  way  we  did  this  afternoon?  I  see  you've  got 
him  asleep  there,  Mary  Kate.  Just  put  him  into  the 
cradle  now  and  he'll  be  all  right." 

"  Mind,  but  he'll  wake  on  you,"  said  Mrs.  O'Flaherty, 
"  and  me  in  the  middle  of  squeezing  the  butter." 

"  He  will  not.  Do  you  think  I  don't  know  when  a 
baby's  asleep?  You  wouldn't  wake  him  now  if  you 
put  him  into  the  churn  head  first.  Do  what  I  bid  you, 
Mary  Kate.  That's  a  good  girl.  Now  the  next  thing 
you  have  to  do  is  to  run  up  to  the  iron  house  where  the 


144  SPANISH  GOLD 

gentleman  lives  that  does  be  measuring  out  the  land  and 
tell  him  I  want  to  see  him  this  evening.  He's  to  get  some 
one  to  put  him  off  to  the  yacht;  do  you  understand? 
I'm  not  coming  ashore  again.  Will  you  do  that  for  me, 
like  a  good  girl  ?  " 

"  I  might." 

"Well,  then,  do.  And  look  here.  If  he  isn't  there, 
just  you  sit  down  outside  the  door  and  wait  till  he 
comes.  Now  off  with  you.  I'll  follow  in  a  minute  or 
two.  It  wouldn't  do  for  you  and  me  to  be  seen  walking 
about  together  every  hour  of  the  day,  Mary  Kate.  They 
might  say  we  were  courting;  and  that  wouldn't  suit 
you  any  more  than  myself.  Goodbye  to  you,  Mrs. 
O'Flaherty.  I'm  really  off  this  time,  but  very  likely 
I'll  look  in  to-morrow  to  see  Michael  Pat  and  the  but- 
ter. Will  you  be  off  out  of  this,  Mary  Kate?  You'll 
spoil  the  look  of  your  mouth  for  life  if  you  stand  there 
grinning  much  longer." 

Meldon  walked  to  the  pier,  passed  it,  and  went  down 
to  the  sandy  beach  which  lay  beyond.  There  were 
three  curraghs  drawn  up  and  laid,  as  the  custom  is 
with  such  boats,  bottom  upward  on  the  sand.  One 
of  them  Meldon  recognised  as  that  in  which  Higgin- 
botham  had  come  off  to  the  Spindrift.  It  was  the 
property  of  Jamesy  O'Flaherty.  Meldon  passed  it  and 
looked  at  the  next.  The  canvas  bottom  revealed  a  large 
rent.  It  could  not  possibly  go  to  sea.  The  third  was 
sound.  Meldon  knelt  down  and  looked  under  it.  The 
oars  were  there  as  he  expected.  He  went  back  to  the 
pier,  embarked  in  the  collapsible  punt,  and  rowed  out  to 
the  Spindrift. 

He  found  that  Major  Kent  had  finished  his  nap  and 
was  reading,  for  want  of  other  literature,  the  sheet  of 


SPANISH  GOLD  145 

a  week-old  newspaper.  It  was  spotted  with  grease  and 
a  good  deal  crumpled,  having,  in  fact,  been  used  to  wrap 
up  the  bacon  which  they  ate  at  breakfast.  The  occupa- 
tion showed  that  the  Major  was  very  much  bored.  He 
gave  frank  expression  to  his  feelings. 

"  How  much  longer  do  you  intend  to  spend  mousing 
round  this  wretched  little  island,  J.  J.?  I'm  about  sick 
of  it.  This  isn't  my  idea  of  a  cruise  at  all.  I  mean  to 
up  anchor  and  slip  across  to  Inishmore  to-morrow  for  a 
change." 

"  Don't  you  do  anything  of  the  sort.  You'll  be  sorry 
all  your  life  afterwards  if  you  do.  I  don't  mind  telling 
ycu  that  we're  just  on  the  very  verge  of  bagging  the 
treasure." 

"  I  don't  believe  it." 

"  I'll  give  you  my  word,  Major,  that  if  you  stay  here 
to-morrow,  I'll  be  ready  to  go  anywhere  you  like  the 
next  day.  The  next  twenty-four  hours,  or  thirty-six 
hours  at  the  outside,  will  see  the  thing  through." 

"  That's  all  very  well.  But  if  your  treasure-hunting 
consists  in  sitting  here  all  day  watching  those  other  two 
fellows  on  the  Aureole,  I  tell  you  plainly  it's  not  good 
enough." 

"  If  it's  a  little  excitement  you  want,  you  shall  have 
it  to-morrow.  I  was  thinking  things  out  a  bit  after  I  fin- 
ished nursing  Michael  Pat,  and " 

"Finished  what?" 

"  Nursing  Michael  Pat,  the  baby  Sir  Giles  wouldn't 
vaccinate  this  morning.  But  you're  a  slow-witted  man, 
Major.  It's  one  of  your  great  faults.  Everything  has 
to  be  explained  to  you.  I  suppose  I  must  begin  at  the 
beginning." 

"  I  wish  you  would." 


146  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Well,  I  will.  But  first  of  all,  I  may  as  well  mention 
that  I've  planned  a  coup  d'etat  for  to-morrow.  I'm  not 
sure  that  I've  got  the  expression  quite  right.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  say  a  coup  de  theatre;  but  you  know  what  I 
mean,  anyhow." 

"  I  don't ;  but  I  might  make  a  guess  if  you'd  begin 
at  the  beginning  instead  of  in  the  middle  or  at  the 
end." 

"  The  epic  poet,"  said  Meldon,  "  always  begins  in  the 
middle.  It's  a  well-known  literary  law  that  all  first- 
rate  narrative  begins  in  the  middle.  If  you  don't  know 
the  middle  of  a  thing,  how  on  earth  can  you  appreciate! 
the  beginning?  My  coup — we'll  call  it  simply  a  coup, 
so  as  to  get  over  the  difficulty  of  not  knowing  exactly 
which  sort  of  coup  it  is — comes  off  to-morrow,  but  it 
begins  this  evening.  I  don't  expect  you  to  play  up  to 
me.  That  would  probably  be  beyond  you,  but  I  hope 
you'll  try  and  not  actually  give  the  show  away  when 
Higginbotham  comes." 

"  Oh,  Higginbotham's  in  it,  is  he  ?  " 

"Of  course  Higginbotham's  in  it.  So  is  Mary  Kate, 
so  is  Sir  Giles,  so  is  Langton,  so  are  you  and  I.  It 
wouldn't  be  a  coup  of  any  sort  if  we  weren't  all  in 
it." 

"  If  it  involves  my  adopting  another  disguise But 

what's  the  good  of  my  talking  ?  " 

"  None.  Just  you  listen.  I  went  on  shore  this  after- 
noon to  find  out  what  Sir  Giles  and  the  other  man  were 
after.  I  took  sixpence  with  me  for  Mary  Kate.  I  set 
the  dear  little  girl  on  to  watch  Sir  Giles  while  I  went  and 
nursed  Michael  Pat — a  fine,  plump  baby,  Michael  Pat, 
but  boisterous." 

"  Is  he  part  of  the  coup  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD  147 

"  No.  I  should  like  to  have  him  in  it  if  I  could,  but 
I  can't  manage  it.  Well,  after  a  time  Mary  Kate  re- 
turned and  told  me  that  Sir  Giles  and  the  man  who  owns 
the  fur  coat  went  up  to  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  field 
and  looked  at  the  hole  there  is  in  it." 

"  Is  the  hole  part  of  the  coup  ?  " 

"  It  is  not.  The  fact  is  I  don't  quite  see  how  the 
hole  comes  in.  That's  what  has  me  so  set  on  bringing 
off  my  coup  without  delay.  If  I  understood  why  they 
looked  at  that  hole  I  might  see  my  way  to  checkmate 
their  move  whatever  it  is.  But  I  don't.  They  may  have 
a  game  on  or  they  may  not.  I'm  not  going  to  give  them 
a  chance." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  Major,  "  you'll  get  to  the  coup 
soon." 

"  I  wanted  to  tell  you  about  the  coup  first  thing ;  but 
you  kept  nagging  at  me  to  go  back  to  the  beginning. 
Now  I've  gone  back  to  the  beginning  and  you're  discon- 
tented because  you  haven't  got  the  end  straight  off. 
You're  a  very  hard  man  to  please." 

"  All  I  mean,"  said  the  Major,  "  is  that  it's  near  tea 
time." 

"  That  reminds  me  that  Higginbotham  may  be  here 
at  any  moment.  Listen  now.  There  seem  to  me  to 
be  only  two  available  boats  on  this  island,  Jamesy 
O'Flaherty's  curragh  and  another." 

"  There's  a  third.  I  saw  three  on  the  beach  this  morn- 
ing." 

"  One  of  those  has  a  hole  in  her  bottom  you  could 
put  your  foot  through ;  so  there  are  only  two  to  be  con- 
sidered. Now  if  Jamesy  O'Flaherty  was  to  go  off  to- 
morrow to  Inishmore  in  his  curragh  and  if  I  could  put 
the  other  one  hors  de  combat,  so  to  speak— ~ ' 


I48  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Knock  a  hole  in  her,  I  suppose." 

"  Now  would  I  do  a  thing  like  that  to  a  curragh  that 
belongs  to  a  poor  man,  for  all  I  know  to  the  contrary 
to  Mary  Kate's  father?  I  wouldn't  if  you  paid  me.  All 
I  mean  to  do  is  to  temporarily  conceal  her  oars  so  that 
she  can't  be  rowed.  Now  if  Jamesy's  curragh  is  off  at 
sea  and  the  other  one  is  not  available,  and  if  the  Aureole's 
punt  were  to  go  adrift,  I  don't  quite  see  how  those  two 
jokers  could  get  ashore,  do  you?" 

"  So  that's  the  coup,  is  it?  " 

"  Yes.  You  see  it  requires  some  management. 
There  are  three  distinct  points.  First,  Jamesy 
O'Flaherty's  curragh  must  be  sent  off.  Next,  the 
other  curragh  must  be  dealt  with.  Finally  we  must 
hope  that  the  'Aureole's  punt  will  go  adrift  during  the 
night." 

"  It  won't,"  said  the  Major.    "  Why  should  it?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  will.  I  mean  to  see  to  it  myself  that  it 
goes  adrift." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  set  Higginbotham  afloat  in  it  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't.  I  told  you  before  that  I  had  a  regard 
for  Higginbotham.  I  don't  want  to  send  him  off 
without  oars  in  an  unseaworthy  punt.  I  wouldn't  do 
it  to  any  man,  much  less  to  a  fellow  who  used  to  come 
up  with  me  every  second  Sunday  to  Rathmines  when 


"  Don't  begin  again  about  your  little  girl." 
"  I  wasn't  going  to  mention  my  little  girl.  But  as 
you've  introduced  the  subject  of  little  girls,  I  must 
say  that  I  think  your  tone  about  women  is  most 
discourteous.  You  display  what  I  may  call  a  graceless 
want  of  chivalry.  I'm  not  a  feminist  myself  or  any- 
thing extreme  of  any  kind,  but  I  think  a  man  ought  to 


SPANISH  GOLD  149 

show  some  respect  to  women,  and  not  be  always  sneering 
at  them  as  you  are.  After  all,  Major,  if  you  hadn't  had 
a  mother  where  would  you  be  now?  You  ought  to  try 
and  remember  little  things  like  that." 

"  Would  there  be  anything  unchivalrous,"  said  the  Ma- 
jor, "  in  asking  where  Higginbotham  does  come  in  if  he's 
not  to  go  to  sea  in  Sir  Giles's  punt  ?  " 

"  It's  my  punt,  not  Sir  Giles's.  But  we  needn't  argue 
about  that.  The  thing's  quite  simple.  Higginbotham  is 
to  go  to  Inishmore  in  Jamesy  O'Flaherty's  curragh." 

"Oh,  is  he?" 

"  Yes.     He's  to  start  early,  about  six  a.m." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I  don't  see  how  I'm  to  get  Jamesy 
O'Flaherty  off  to  Inishmore  for  the  day  in  his  curragh 
unless  I  make  Higginbotham  hire  him  for  the  purpose. 
Besides,  I  want  Higginbotham  out  of  the  way,  too.  If 
he's  on  the  island  he'll  do  some  sort  of  mischief,  with 
the  best  intentions,  of  course,  and  spoil  the  whole  coup. 
There's  no  saying  what  a  kind-hearted  man  like  Hig- 
ginbotham would  do  when  he  found  out  that  Sir  Giles 
and  Langton  were  shut  up  on  the  Aureole  and  couldn't 
get  ashore.  He  might  hunt  us  up  and  make  us  go  off 
for  them.  No ;  I  don't  want  even  to  inconvenience  Hig- 
ginbotham more  than  I  can  help ;  but  I  can't  have  him  on 
this  island  to-morrow." 

"  The  whole  thing  seems  to  me  enormously  compli- 
cated," said  the  Major.  "  I  don't  see  how  you  can  ex- 
pect it  to  work  without  a  hitch.  All  I  insist  on  is  that 
you  don't  bring  me  into  it." 

"  It's  perfectly  simple,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  don't  see 
where  a  hitch  can  come  in  if  the  thing's  properly 
worked." 


CHAPTER  XI 

MAJOR  KENT  and  Meldon  had  finished  their 
eggs  and  were  eating  bread-and-jam  when  Hig- 
ginbotham,  rowed  by  Jamesy  O 'Flaherty,  reached  the 
Spindrift.  At  the  sound  of  a  bump  against  the  yacht's 
side  Meldon  went  on  deck. 

"  Come  along,  Higginbotham,"  he  said.  "  Come  be- 
low and  have  a  cup  of  tea.  Jamesy  O'Flaherty,  do  you 
make  your  curragh  fast  and  get  on  board.  I'll  bring 
you  up  a  glass  of  whisky  in  a  minute." 

He  shepherded  Higginbotham  into  the  cabin.  The 
Major  rose  to  his  feet  nervously.  He  foresaw  that  the 
process  of  persuading  Higginbotham  to  set  out  for  Inish- 
more  in  a  curragh  at  six  the  next  morning  would  be  try- 
ing. 

"  I  think,"  he  said,  "  I'll  go  on  deck  and  have  a  chat 
with  Jamesy  O'Flaherty." 

"  Do,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  take  a  glass  of  whisky 
with  you.  I  want  to  have  a  quiet  talk  with  Higgin- 
botham." 

The  Major  departed,  well  satisfied  that  he  would 
escape  taking  part  in  the  quiet  talk  which  was  to  fol- 
low. 

"  Help  yourself  to  some  tea,"  said  Meldon  to  Hig- 
ginbotham, "  and  make  yourself  comfortable  with  a  slice 

150 


SPANISH  GOLD  151 

of  bread-and-jam.  I  think  I  mentioned  to  you  yester- 
day that  Sir  Giles  Buckley  is  rather  a  big  bug  in  his  own 
way." 

"  You  said  he  was  something  in  the  Castle." 

"  He  is.  I  hinted,  I  think,  that  either  Crimes  Acts 
or  Royal  Commissions  were  his  particular  line.  I  was 
wrong  there.  I  confused  him  for  the  moment  with  an- 
other man  whose  name  is  somewhat  similar.  The  fact 
is  that  Sir  Giles  is  the  man  whom  they  keep  unattached, 
as  it  were,  to  take  up  any  particular  job  that  happens 
to  be  prominent  at  the  moment.  It  may  be  a  famine, 
or  it  may  be  crochet,  or  sick  nurses,  or  Christmas-trees 
for  workhouse  children.  Whatever  it  is,  Sir  Giles  is 
the  man  who  runs  it.  At  present  it  happens  to  be 
tuberculosis." 

"  I  never  heard  of  there  being  any  such  man  in  the 
Castle." 

"  I  dare  say  not.  You  official  people  get  into  very 
narrow  grooves.  You  all  of  you  seem  to  think  that 
your  own  footy  little  Board  is  the  only  one  in  the  coun- 
try. Whereas  there  are  lots  and  lots  of  others  besides 
the  one  you  happen  to  be  connected  with.  Not  that  I 
mean  to  suggest  that  Sir  Giles  is  a  Board.  He  isn't. 
He's  simply,  as  I  said,  unattached." 

"  Still,  I  think  I  must  have  heard  of  him  if  he's  what 
you  say." 

"  You  might  not.  I  tell  you,  Higginbotham,  there 
aren't  half  a  dozen  men  in  Ireland  who  could  tell  you 
even  the  principal  kinds  of  regular  officials;  and  when 
it  comes  to  unattached  freelances  like  Sir  Giles,  hardly 
anybody  knows  exactly  what  they  are.  I'm  liable  to 
make  mistakes  about  them  myself,  as  you  saw  when  I 
spoke  about  Sir  Giles  yesterday." 


152  SPANISH  GOLD: 

"  Still " 

"  I  may  not  be  using  technically  correct  language 
when  I  call  Sir  Giles  an  unattached  official.  I  dare 
say  there's  some  other  name  for  what  he  is  which  you 
would  recognise  if  you  heard  it.  But  the  gist  of  the 
matter  is  the  same,  however  you  express  it.  He's  in 
charge  of  the  anti-tuberculosis  movement,  fighting  the 
Great  White  Plague.  That's  what  he's  here  for.  This 
morning  he  made  an  examination  of  young  Mrs.  O'Fla- 
herty's  baby,  little  Michael  Pat.  You  might  have  seen 
him  going  off  in  that  direction  at  about  half -past 
eight." 

"  I  did." 

"  You  saw  him  talking  to  her  on  the  side  of  the  road 
and  her  with  the  baby  in  her  arms  ?  " 

"  Yes.     I  happened  at  the  time  to  be  going " 

"  Well,  there  you  are.  If  Sir  Giles  isn't  investigating 
tuberculosis  on  behalf  of  the  Government,  why  should 
he  bother  his  head  about  making  a  prolonged  and  minute 
examination  of  Mrs.  O'Flaherty's  baby?  Tell  me 
that." 

"  I  don't  know.     I  suppose  it's  all  right." 

"  Well,  then,  don't  contradict  me  flat  when  I'm  giving 
you  information  which  may  come  in  useful  to  you. 
The  fact  is  that  Sir  Giles  wants  you  to  help  him  to- 
morrow." 

"  But — but  I  don't  know  anything  about  tuber- 
culosis." 

"  Nobody  supposes  you  do.  What  he  wants  you 
to  do  is  to  go  over  early  to-morrow  to  Inishmore 
in  Jamesy  O'Flaherty's  curragh  and  make  a  list  of 
all  the  cases  of  consumption  you  can  find.  You 
know  the  people,  or  at  any  rate  you  ought  to,  and 


SPANISH  GOLD  153 

of  course  Sir  Giles  doesn't.  His  plan  is  to  follow 
you  later  on  in  the  Aureole.  You're  to  start  about 
six  a.m.  Allowing  an  hour  and  a  half  for  the  row 
over,  you'll  be  there  by  seven-thirty.  After  you've 
had  a  bit  of  breakfast — Sir  Giles  was  most  particular 
that  you  should  breakfast  properly — he  thinks  you 
might  catch  the  thing  yourself  if  you  went  at  it  on 
an  empty  stomach.  After  breakfast  you're  to  stroll 
round  the  island  and  keep  your  eye  lifting  for  con- 
sumptives. You  needn't  drag  them  out  and  lay  them 
on  the  beach  or  anything  of  that  sort.  Just  take  a 
note  of  any  case  you  come  across  so  that  when  Sir 
Giles  arrives  there'll  be  no  unnecessary  waste  of 
time." 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  a  job  in  my  life." 

"Very  likely  not.  But  you  ought  to  recollect,  Hig- 
ginbotham,  that  you'd  never  heard  of  Sir  Giles  till  I  told 
you  about  him.  And  you'd  never  heard  of  the  anti- 
tuberculosis  crusade." 

"  I  had  heard  of  that." 

"  Oh,  had  you  ?  Well,  this  morning  you  saw  with 
your  own  eyes  the  way  Sir  Giles  was  examining  little 
Michael  Pat." 

"  I  didn't  say  I  saw  him  examining  the  child.  I  said 
I  saw " 

"  Don't  go  back  on  what  you've  just  admitted.  You 
said  you  were  watching  Sir  Giles  this  morning.  I  don't 
call  it  a  very  gentlemanly  action.  But  there's  no  use 
making  the  matter  worse  now  by  denying  that  you  did 
it." 

Higginbotham  stroked  his  moustache  nervously.  He 
took  off  his  spectacles  and  rubbed  the  glasses  with  his 
handkerchief.  He  cleared  his  throat. 


154  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  can't  do  a  thing  like  that,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  know 
how." 

"  It'll  be  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  Call  on  the  parish 
priest  when  you  land;  he'll  help  you." 

Higginbotham  still  displayed  signs  of  uneasiness. 

"  Why  does  Sir  Giles  send  me  this  message  through 
you  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Why  doesn't  he  speak  to  me  him- 
self." 

"  He  tried  to.  He  and  I  were  searching  the  island 
for  you  all  afternoon.  He  went  up  to  old  Thomas 
O'Flaherty's  place  to  look  for  you.  I  told  him  that  you 
were  likely  to  be  there,  but  you  weren't." 

"  I  heard  he  was  up  there.  I  thought  he  might  have 
been  speaking  to  the  old  man  about " 

"  Well,  he  wasn't.  He  was  simply  looking  for  you. 
Now,  Higginbotham,  the  question  is  simply  this:  will 
you  go  or  will  you  not?  I'd  go  myself  in  a  minute, 
only  I  thought  you'd  like  to  get  the  chance.  I've  noth- 
ing to  gain  by  being  civil  to  Sir  Giles,  but  you  have. 
Why,  man,  your  whole  future  depends  upon  the  kind 
of  impression  you  make  upon  these  big  officials.  You 
know  the  way  they  talk  to  each  other  in  their  clubs 
after  luncheon.  I  tell  you  there's  very  little  they  don't 
know  about  every  inspector  and  engineer  in  the  coun- 
try. If  you've  any  sense  you'll  make  yourself  as  pleas- 
ant and  obliging  to  Sir  Giles  as  you  possibly  can.  I 
hope  you  don't  mind  my  speaking  plainly.  It's  for  your 
own  good." 

"  I  think,"  said  Higginbotham,  "  that  I'll  row  over  now 
and  see  Sir  Giles  myself." 

"  You'd  much  better  not." 

"Why?" 

"  Oh,  well,  I  don't  like  repeating  these  things.     But 


SPANISH  GOLD  155 

of   course  it's  pretty  well  public  property.    The   fact 

Meldon  took  a  cup  from  the  table,  put  it  to  his  lips, 
slowly  raised  his  elbow  and  threw  back  his  head. 

"  Only  in  the  evenings,"  he  continued,  "  after  he's  left 
the  office.  He  never  allows  it  to  interfere  with  his  work 
in  the  slightest." 

Higginbotham  gasped.     Meldon  nodded  solemnly. 

"  Naturally,"  he  went  on,  "  the  poor  fellow  doesn't 
care  about  having  unexpected  visitors  dropping  in  on  him 
during  the  evening." 

"  Good  God !  "  said  Higginbotham. 

"  Yes,  it's  frightfully  sad.  In  every  other  respect  he's 
a  splendid  fellow,  one  of  the  very  best.  We  keep  it  as 
quiet  as  we  can,  but,  you  can  see  it  for  yourself.  You've 
only  got  to  look  at  Langton's  face  to  see  it.  You  told  me 
yourself  that  he'd  got  sacked  out  of  the  College  Library 
for  drink." 

"But  Sir  Giles!" 

"  Oh,  tarred  with  the  same  brush.  Birds  of  a 
feather,  you  know.  You  see  now  why  it  wouldn't 
do  for  you  to  be  going  over  there  this  evening. 
You're  an  official  yourself,  and  I  need  scarcely  say 
that  a  subordinate  official  is  the  very  last  kind  of  man 
who  should  mix  himself  up  in  a  business  of  this 
kind." 

"  I  see  that,  of  course." 

"I  needn't  say,  Higginbotham,  that  it's  no  pleasure 
to  me  to  repeat  stories  of  this  kind.  I  wouldn't  have 
said  a  word  if  you  hadn't  forced  me.  I'm  extremely 
sorry  for  Sir  Giles  and  for  poor  Langton.  What  a  prom- 
ising career  that  man  had  before  him !  With  his  taste  for 
manuscripts  and  the  whole  College  Library  at  his  dis- 


156  SPANISH  GOLD 

posal,  he  might  have  made  a  European  reputation. 
Drink's  an  awful  curse." 

"  But  I  thought  you  said  he  wasn't  the  same  man." 

"  I  may  have  said  that  at  the  time.  I  naturally  wanted 
to  shield  Sir  Giles  as  long  as  I  could.  But  he  is  the 
exact  same  man.  Poor  old  Euseby  Langton !  But  we'll 
drop  the  subject  now.  I  don't  care  to  spend  the  whole 
evening  gloating  over  other  men's  infirmities.  The  point 
I  want  to  get  at  is  this:  Will  you  go  to  Inishmore  to- 
morrow morning  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I'd  better." 

"  Quite  right.  Take  my  word  for  it  you'll  be  glad 
afterwards  you  did.  And  now,  as  you've  got  to  make 
an  early  start  I  daresay  you'd  like  to  be  getting  home. 
Don't  let  Jamesy  O'Flaherty  oversleep  himself  in  the 
morning." 

"  Major,"  said  Meldon,  when  Higginbotham  had  de- 
parted, "  I've  settled  that  all  right.  Higginbotham  and 
the  curragh  go  to  Inishmore  to-morrow.  They  start  at 
six  a.m." 

"  How  did  you  arrange  it  ?  " 

"  Don't  ask  me.     I  had  a  tough  job." 

Meldon  lit  his  pipe  and  puffed  great  clouds  of  smoke. 
His  nerves  required  steadying  after  the  conversation  with 
Higginbotham.  For  a  time  he  remained  silent. 

The  Major  was  filled  with  curiosity — the  morbid 
curiosity  which  makes  some  men  eager  to  gaze  on  sights 
which  fill  them  with  horror.  He  pressed  Meldon  to 
tell  him  how  the  expedition  to  Inishmore  had  been  ar- 
ranged. 

"  I'm  glad  we'll  get  that  treasure  to-morrow,"  said 
Meldon.  "  I  don't  believe  it  will  be  possible  to  keep 
Higginbotham  going  much  longer  without  his  sus- 


SPANISH  GOLD 


157. 


pecting  that  there  is  something  up.  He's  becoming 
extraordinarily  sceptical  about  the  things  I  tell  him.  I 
give  you  my  word,  Major,  that  at  times  to-night  it  took 
me  all  I  knew  to  persuade  him  that  I  was  telling  the 
truth." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder." 

"  Pve  made  up  my  mind,"  said  Meldon,  after  another 
pause,  "  that,  if  we  get  anything  like  the  haul  I  expect 
to-morrow  out  of  the  Spanish  captain's  hoard,  we'll  give 
Higginbotham  a  good  bagful  of  doubloons  for  himself. 
We  owe  it  to  him  to  do  him  a  good  turn  of  some  sort. 
I  don't  feel  that  we've  treated  him  quite  fairly.  It's; 
rough  on  a  man  to  set  him  searching  for  tubercle  bacilli 
all  day  long  on  an  island  by  himself.  It's  not  in  Higgin- 
botham's  regular  line  of  work  and  I'm  afraid  he  won't 
like  it  at  all.  I'm  sorry  I  had  to  do  it." 

"  What  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  I've  just  told  you.  I've  sent  him  off  to  Inishmore 
to  make  a  kind  of  census  of  all  the  consumptive  people 
on  the  island.  I  told  him  he'd  better  get  the  parish  priest 
to  help  him.  By  the  way,  vhat  sort  of  a  fellow  is  the 
parish  priest  of  Inishmore  ?  " 

"  He's  a  man  called  Mulcrone." 

"  Has  he  a  sense  of  humour  ?  I  mean,  will  he  see' 
the  joke  afterwards,  or  is  he  the  kind  who'll  make  a 
row?" 

"  He  can  see  ordinary  jokes.  At  least  he  has  some- 
thing of  a  reputation  for  making  them,  but  whether  he'll 
see  your  kind  of  joke,  of  course  I  can't  say." 

"  Oh,  well,  it  won't  much  matter  what  he  does  once 
we  have  the  treasure,  and  there's  very  little  between 
us  and  it  now.  I  think  I'll  turn  in,  Major.  I'm  a  bit 
fagged.  Michael  Pat  took  more  out  of  me  this  after- 


is8  SPANISH  GOLD: 

noon  than  I  suspected  at  the  time.  I  advise  you  to  turn 
in  too.  We've  a  long  day  before  us  to-morrow.  Good- 
night." 

Half  an  hour  later  Meldon  from  his  bunk  addressed 
Major  Kent,  who  had  been  on  deck  to  wash  his  teeth. 

"  Major,  Higginbotham's  not  nearly  such  a  fool  as 
you  appear  to  think.  If  I  were  you  I'd  slide  off  that 
geological  survey  story  of  yours  quietly  and  unobtru- 
sively. Don't  try  and  keep  the  thing  up.  I  doubt  very 
much  whether  you'll  be  believed  if  you  do.  Any  dis- 
guise you  assume  in  future  when  dealing  with  Higgin- 
botham  had  better  be  very  carefully  tested  beforehand. 
Good-night." 


CHAPTER  XII 

NEXT  morning  Meldon  awoke  earlier  than  usual. 
He  turned  out  of  his  bunk  at  half-past  five,  and, 
as  yachtsmen  often  do,  began  the  day  by  tapping  the 
barometer.  It  had  fallen  during  the  night  and  was  still 
falling.  He  went  on  deck  and  looked  round  him.  There 
was  no  sign  visible  as  yet  of  a  change  in  the  weather. 
Everything  pointed  to  the  certainty  of  at  least  one  more 
hot  day.  He  returned  to  the  cabin  and  shook  Major 
Kent. 

"  It's  not  time  for  you  to  get  up  yet,"  he  said. 
"  But  I  thought  I  might  as  well  warn  you  that  you'll 
have  to  be  dressed  and  ready  to  start  by  half-past 
six." 

"  I'm  not  going  on  a  fool's  errand  at  any  such  hour  in 
the  morning,"  growled  the  Major. 

"  I  thought  you'd  very  likely  say  that  when  you  woke. 
That's  the  reason  I  shook  you  up  a  bit  before  it  was 
absolutely  necessary.  Some  people  are  at  their  best  when 
they  first  wake.  All  really  great  men  are.  I  am,  myself. 
Other  people  wake  slowly  and  are  uncommonly  short  in 
their  temper  for  an  hour  or  so  after  they  get  up.  That's 
the  sort  you  are.  If  you  had  a  wife  I'd  pity  her  at 
breakfast-time." 

Meldon  went  on  deck  again  and  surveyed  first  the 

i59 


160  SPANISH  GOLD 

Aureole,  then  Higginbotham's  hut.  At  the  end  of  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  he  returned  to  the  Major. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  Higginbotham  is  stirring 
and  I  see  Jamesy  O'Flaherty  fiddling  about  at  the  cur- 
ragh.  They'll  be  off  in  a  few  minutes.  You'd  better 
be  getting  up  if  you  want  half  an  hour  to  dress  yourself. 
We'll  breakfast  on  shore." 

"  I  won't." 

Meldon  made  no  answer  to  this  flat  refusal.  He  went 
on  deck  again  and  stared  through  the  glasses  at  the 
beach  beside  the  pier.  He  saw  Higginbotham  embark 
in  the  curragh,  watched  Jamesy  O'Flaherty  take  the  oars, 
shove  off  and  begin  to  row  steadily.  He  returned  to 
Major  Kent. 

"  He's  gone,"  he  reported.  "  I  hardly  dared  to  hope 
he  would,  but  he  has.  In  a  few  minutes  he'll  be  out  of 
the  bay.  Then  I'll  swim  across  to  the  Aureole  at  once." 

"What  for?" 

"To  deal  with  the  punt,  of  course.  There's  a  nice 
little  westerly  breeze,  and  when  I  cast  loose  the  painter 
she'll  drift  quietly  out  to  sea." 

"J.  J.,  I've  stood  a  lot  of  your  foolery,  but  I'm  not 
going  to  allow  you  to  commit  theft  before  my  eyes  and 
I'm  not  going  ashore  without  my  breakfast." 

"  I'll  take  your  two  points  separately,"  said  Meldon. 
"  There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  connection  between  them. 
First,  there's  no  theft  in  taking  my  own  punt  and  send- 
ing her  out  to  sea.  Second,  you  must  come  on  shore 
at  once  or  else  the  other  fellows  will  wake.  They  can't 
get  off  the  Aureole  when  they  do,  of  course.  But  I'd 
rather  not  have  them  howling  after  us.  It  wouldn't  look 
well  if  we  refused  to  go  back  for  them.  People  might 
say  afterwards  that  we'd  taken  their  punt  from  them. 


SPANISH  GOLD  161 

Whereas  if  we're  well  out  of  the  way  before  they  wake 
we  can't  be  blamed  for  their  being  stuck  all  day  on  the 
Aureole." 

"  It's  ten  to  one  they  see  you  setting  the  punt  adrift, 
and  then  there'll  be  a  nice  row." 

"  They  won't.  What  would  have  them  up  at  this  hour 
of  the  day?  They  know  jolly  well  that  the  tide  won't 
be  low  enough  to  get  into  that  hole  at  the  bottom  of 
the  cliff  till  about  ten  o'clock.  They  won't  expect  us 
to  stir  till  after  eight,  anyhow.  But  I  can't  stop  here 
arguing  with  you.  You  get  a  few  bits  of  bread  and 
some  butter  and  sardines  and  things  together,  and  I'll 
be  off." 

Meldon  dropped  over  the  side  of  the  Spindrift  and 
struck  out  for  the  Aureole.  He  watched  her  keenly  as 
he  swam,  and  saw  no  signs  of  life  on  board  her.  The 
morning  breeze  ruffled  the  surface  of  the  water 
slightly.  The  tiny  ripples  beat  against  his  chin  and 
cheek.  The  sun  shone  red  through  a  faint  haze. 
Meldon  swam  joyously.  He  was  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  adventure  and  with  delightful  anticipations  of 
success.  The  Aureole  lay  with  her  bow  pointing  to 
the  shore.  The  punt  was  astern  of  her.  Now  and 
then  she  pulled  at  her  painter  just  sufficiently  strongly 
to  lift  it  from  the  water  and  haul  it  taut.  Then,  while 
the  drops  still  fell  from  it,  the  rope  grew  slack  again 
and  the  punt  ran  up  a  little  towards  the  yacht.  The 
gurgling  wash  of  the  ripples  against  her  side  was 
pleasant  to  hear.  Meldon  gripped  her  by  the  stern, 
steadied  himself,  and  lay  almost  flat  on  the  water  with 
his  legs  near  the  surface  to  avoid  the  suction  of  the 
punt.  Then  with  a  sharp  jerk  of  his  arms  he  raised 
himself  till  his  chest  touched  the  gunwale.  He  climbed 


162  SPANISH  GOLD 

cautiously  on  board,  loosed  the  painter  from  the  ring 
in  the  bow  and  lay  still  for  a  minute  or  two,  watching 
the  distance  between  him  and  the  'Aureole  widen 
slowly.  The  breeze  was  light,  and  the  punt  did  not 
drift  very  fast.  Still,  she  moved  towards  the  mouth  of 
the  bay.  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  were  apparently 
sound  asleep.  Meldon  slid  quietly  into  the  water 
again  and  started  on  his  return  journey  to  the  Spin- 
drift. Now  and  then  he  turned  over  on  his  back 
and  swam  for  a  few  yards  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
Aureole.  There  was  no  sign  of  awakening  on  board  of 
her. 

He  climbed  into  the  Spindrift  by  the  bight  of  rope 
he  had  left  hanging  over  the  side  for  his  accommoda- 
tion. 

"  Major,"  he  said  in  a  delighted  whisper,  "  the  coup 
has  come  off.  Where's  my  shirt?  Isn't  it  extraordi- 
nary the  way  things  move  about  during  the  night.  I 
could  have  sworn  I  left  it  on  the  end  of  my  bunk. 
Ah!  I  have  it.  Now  the  sooner  we're  off  the  better. 
Slip  the  breakfast  into  the  punt  and  get  in  yourself. 
Go  on,  man.  If  you  want  to  argue,  argue  when  we're 
on  shore.  We  haven't  a  minute  to  lose.  I  wouldn't 
trust  that  beast  Langton  not  to  sneak  up  in  his  pyjamas 
to  have  a  look  at  us.  He  did  yesterday." 

Major  Kent,  grumbling  and  protesting,  was  hustled 
into  the  punt.  Meldon  followed  him  and  paddled  briskly 
to  the  shore.  There  was  no  one,  not  even  Mary  Kate, 
on  the  pier  when  they  reached  it. 

"  Now,"  said  Meldon,  "  get  that  punt  ashore  and  fold 
her  up.  We're  going  to  take  her  with  us." 

"  Why  should  we  drag  the  punt  ?  We'll  only  be  cut- 
ting her  to  pieces  on  the  rocks." 


SPANISH  GOLD  163 

"Why?  Because  in  the  nrst  place,  as  you'd  see  if 
you  troubled  yourself  to  think  for  a  single  instant,  if 
we  leave  her  here  some  fool  will  go  off  to  the  Aureole 
in  her  when  those  fellows  begin  to  shout  for  help.  In 
the  next  place,  because  you  can't  swim,  and  we'll  want 
her  to  carry  you  up  the  channel  to  the  bottom  of  the 
cliff.  I  must  say  that  these  collapsible  punts,  beastly 
as  they  are  to  row  in,  have  certain  good  points.  We 
couldn't  have  carried  the  ordinary  wooden  boat  all  round 
the  island.  Just  you  fold  her  up  while  I  go  over  to  the 
curragh  there  on  the  shore." 

Major  Kent  lifted  the  punt  out  of  the  water  and  folded 
her  flat.  Then  he  looked  up  and  saw  Meldon,  with  four 
oars  on  his  shoulders,  going  up  the  hill  towards  Higgin- 
botham's  house. 

"  What  are  you  doing?  "  he  called. 

"  I  found  four  oars,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  I'm  going 
to  put  them  in  through  one  of  the  windows  of  Higgin- 
botham's  house.  Nobody  will  think  of  looking  for  them 
there.  I  wish  to  goodness  you  wouldn't  shout  at 
me  like  that.  You'll  waken  every  man  on  the  island 
before  you've  done,  to  say  nothing  of  Sir  Giles  and  Lang- 
ton." 

The  Major  pursued  Meldon  up  the  hill  and  seized  him 
by  the  arm. 

"  J.  ].,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  I  call  this  theft." 

He  had  the  true  English  respect  for  law  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  both  him  and  his  father  had  spent  their 
lives  in  Ireland.  The  very  thought  of  an  unhallowed 
interference  with  property  shocked  him  inexpressi- 
bly. 

"You  may  call  it  arson  if  you  like,"  said  Meldon, 
who  had  nothing  but  Irish  blood  in  his  veins,  "or 


164  SPANISH  GOLD 

malicious  injury,  or  agrarian  outrage,  or  intimidation. 
I  don't  care  if  you  call  it  cattle-driving  or  even  boy- 
cotting. I'm  going  to  stow  the  oars  away  all  the  same. 
I  can't  have  the  owners  of  the  curragh  rowing  off  to 
the  Aureole  and  putting  Sir  Giles  on  shore  as  soon  as 
our  backs  are  turned." 

Meldon  breasted  the  hill  and  reached  the  iron  hut. 
He  tried  each  of  the  four  windows  in  turn.  They  were 
all  bolted.  With  the  end  of  one  of  the  oars  he  delib- 
erately smashed  a  pane  of  glass. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  don't,"  said  the  Major. 

"I  must;  Higginbotham  will  probably  grumble,  but 
that  can't  be  helped.  He'd  no  right  to  go  away  and 
leave  his  house  barred  and  bolted  as  if  he  was  afraid  of 
burglars." 

"  He  very  well  might  be  afraid  of  burglars  when  you're 
about." 

"  Now  look  here,"  said  Meldon  as  he  shoved  the 
oars  through  the  broken  pane,  "  I  don't  mind  your 
being  abusive,  not  the  least  bit.  You've  been  calling 
me  a  liar  and  a  burglar  and  other  bad  names  since 
ever  I  brought  you  to  this  island.  I  haven't  resented 
it  a  bit  and  I  don't.  But  \  tell  you  what  I  do  dislike, 
and  that's  your  abominable  unreasonableness.  I  can't 
bear  men  who  are  carried  away  by  mere  words  and 
don't  stop  to  think  about  the  meaning  of  what  they 
say.  What  is  burglary?  Isn't  it  taking  a  man's  own 
things  out  of  his  house  when  he's  not  looking?  You 
agree  to  that  definition,  I  suppose.  Very  well.  What 
am  I  doing?  I'm  putting  other  people's  things  into  a 
man's  house  when  he's  not  looking.  Now  that's  just 
the  exact,  bang  opposite  to  what  burgling  is.  There- 
fore, I'm  not  a  burglar.  In  fact,  I'm  the  very  an- 


SPANISH  GOLD  165 

tithesis  of  a  burglar.  You  may  not  know  what  an  an- 
tithesis is,  but " 

"  I  do  know,  so  you  need  not  trouble  to  explain." 

"  Very  well,  I'll  pursue  my  line  of  reasoning. 
Burglary  is  wrong.  You  hinted  that  yourself  a 
minute  ago.  But  the  antithesis  of  wrong  is  right. 
What  I'm  doing  is  the  antithesis  of  burglary. 
Therefore " 

"  There's  no  need  to  go  on  talking  that  rot,"  said  the 
Major.  "  It  doesn't  impress  me  in  the  least." 

"  I  feared  it  wouldn't.  Never  mind,  Major,  even  if 
you  don't  pocket  a  single  doubloon — and  I'll  be  greatly 
surprised  if  you're  not  weighed  down  with  them  before 
morning,  but  even  if  you  don't  pocket  one,  you're  gettng 
a  liberal  education.  The  things  I've  told  you  about  ge- 
ology, entomology,  theology,  ethics,  and  philosophy  in 
general,  since  we  came  to  this  island  would  set  up  an 
ordinary  professor  handsomely." 

Meldon  slung  the  folded  punt  across  his  shoulders, 
took  a  last  look  at  the  Aureole  and  started  to  tramp  up 
to  the  head  of  the  path  which  led  down  the  cliff  to  the 
western  beach  of  the  island.  Major  Kent,  with  the 
paddles,  the  rowlocks,  and  the  basket  which  contained 
the  breakfast,  followed  him.  The  inhabitants  of  Inish- 
gowlan  are  not  early  risers.  A  few  women  peered  out 
through  the  doors  of  the  cabins.  Nobody  attempted 
to  speak  to  them  or  follow  them.  Neither  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat  nor  Mary  Kate  appeared  at  all.  Meldon 
and  the  Major  walked  rapidly.  At  the  top  of  the  cliff 
they  paused. 

"  We're  pretty  safe  now,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  we'll  take 
a  few  minutes'  rest,  but  we  won't  breakfast  till  we're 
down  among  the  rocks." 


166  SPANISH  GOLD 

He  swung  the  punt  off  his  shoulders  as  he  spoke,  sat 
down  and  wiped  his  brow. 

"  If  I'm  not  mistaken,"  said  the  Major,  "  there's  some 
one  on  the  deck  of  the  Aureole  now." 

Meldon  stood  up  and  looked  eagerly. 

"  There  is,"  he  said.  "  You're  quite  right.  See 
now,  they're  both  on  deck.  Well,  they  can  stay 
there." 

"What'll  they  do  now?" 

"  Shout,  I  should  think.  I  can't  myself  see  what  else 
there  is  for  them  to  do.  Sir  Giles  might  swim,  but 
it's  not  likely  the  other  fellow  can.  That  sort  of  man 
never  does  anything  really  useful.  Anyway,  if  they  do 
swim,  they  can't  carry  all  their  tackle  with  them  for 
getting  down  the  cliff.  All  the  same,  I  think  we'll  move 
on  a  bit." 

"  I'm  inclined  to  go  back  to  them,"  said  the  Major. 

"  I  don't  like After  all,  they've  not  done  anything 

to  us." 

"  It's  not  what  they've  done  so  much  as  what  they  want 
to  do  which  makes  me  determine  to  keep  them  there. 
Recollect,  Major,  they're  after  the  treasure." 

"  Well,  haven't  they  as  good  a  right  to  it  as  we  have  ? 
I  like  to  play  fair." 

"  They  have  not  as  good  a  right  as  we  have.  I 
deny  that  entirely.  Think  of  the  use  those  fellows 
would  make  of  the  treasure  if  they  got  it.  You  told 
me  yourself  that  Sir  Giles  was  a  bad  hat — so  bad  that 
his  own  father  left  the  family  property  away  from 
him,  as  much  of  it  as  he  could.  Langton's  no  better. 
You  heard  what  Higginbotham  said  about  his 
drinking,  and  he  must  have  a  hideously  corrupted 
mind  after  poking  about  for  years  among  those  manu- 


SPANISH  GOLD  167 

scripts  in  the  College  Library.  You  don't  know  how 
bad  most  manuscripts  are.  That's  the  reason  they 
remain  manuscripts.  No  decent  printer  would  set  them 
up  in  type.  I  tell  you,  if  those  two  fellows  get  a  hold 
of  the  treasure,  they'll  spend  it  in  ways  that  will  make 
the  Spanish  captain  shiver  in  his  grave,  and  I  don't 
expect  he  was  exactly  a  squeamish  man.  It's  nothing 
but  a  public  duty  to  prevent  their  getting  a  hold  of  the 
money,  even  if  we  never  touch  a  penny  of  it  our- 
selves." 

"  I  don't  see  what  all  that,  even  if  it's  true,  has  to  do 
with  their  right  to  take  the  treasure  if  they  can,  always 
supposing  there  is  any  treasure  to  take." 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  qualify  everything  you  say  with' 
a  whole  string  of  '  if  s.'  It  robs  your  conversation  of 
piquancy.  But  come  on  now.  We  must  get  out  of  this. 
They  might  see  us  with  their  glasses.  When  we've  had 
our  breakfast,  I'll  explain  to  you  why  Sir  Giles  has  no 
right  to  the  treasure." 

They  made  their  way  down  the  steep  path  and  reached 
the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff.  Meldon  laid  the  punt 
down  carefully.  The  basket  was  rnpacked  and  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  bread,  butter,  sardines,  potted  meat,  and 
jam  was  spread  out  on  a  flat  stone.  For  a  while  Mel- 
don ate  without  speaking.  An  early  swim,  a  long  walk, 
and  an  hour  or  two  of  anxious  excitement,  whet  a  man's 
appetite  for  breakfast.  Major  Kent  began  to  hope  that 
he  would  escape  an  explanation  of  his  own  moral  right 
to  the  treasure.  He  was  disappointed.  Meldon,  his  ap- 
petite sated,  lit  a  pipe  and  leaned  back  comfortably  against 
a  rock. 

"  We  may  as  well  take  it  easy  for  a  bit,"  he  said. 
"The  tide  won't  be  out  far  enough  to  let  us  get  into 


168  SPANISH  GOLD 

that  hole  for  another  two  hours,  and  it  won't  take  us 
more  than  one  to  get  there." 

He  smoked  contentedly  for  a  few  minutes  and  then 
began  to  speak  again — 

"  You  read  the  Times,  Major,  so  I  suppose  you  take 
some  interest  in  politics." 

"  I  know  that  the  Nationalists  are  blackguards,  if  that's 
what  you  mean." 

"  I'm  not  talking  now  of  these  petty  little  local  squab- 
bles. When  I  say  politics,  I  refer  to  the  great  stream 
of  European  thought,  to  the  wide  movements  discernible 
among  all  civilised  peoples." 

He  waved  his  hand  towards  the  ocean  to  indicate  the 
immensity  of  his  subject. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  said  the  Major. 

"  I  thought  you  wouldn't,  but  you  ought  to.  Are  you 
aware  that  our  modern  civilisation  is  on  the  very  verge 
of  a  bust-up?  No?  Well,  it  is.  The  Governments  of 
the  various  countries  are,  generally  speaking,  unaware  of 
the  catastrophe  which  threatens  them;  or,  if  they  guess 
anything,  are  foolish  enough  to  think  that  they  can  stifle 
an  explosion  by  sitting  on  the  safety-valve.  You  catch 
my  meaning,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  You  appear  to  mean,"  said  the  Major,  "  that  all 
Kings,  Princes,  Presidents,  Prime  Ministers,  and  Parlia- 
ments are  fools." 

"  Precisely.     They  all  are." 

"  It's  a  pity  you  don't  tell  them  so." 

"  I  will.  I've  always  intended  to  tell  the  first  one 
I  met.  Look  at  Russia.  Choke-full  of  anarchists  and 
nihilists.  Look  at  Portugal.  They're  murdering  kings 
and  rioting  in  churches.  Look  at  Finland,  admitting 
women  to  their  Parliament;  not  that  I  object  to 


SPANISH  GOLD  169 

women  in  the  way  you  do,  Major.  I  think  they're 
all  right  in  their  proper  place.  I  only  quote  Finland 
as  an  instance  of  the  general  tendency  I'm  speaking  of. 
Look  at  New  York,  with  its  Socialist  riots.  Look  at 
Austria-Hungary,  or  Italy,  or  any  other  country  you 
choose  to  name.  Look  at  the  Labour  Members  in  the 
English  House  of  Commons.  Now  what  does  all  that 
mean  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  in  the  least,  and  I  don't  care. 
Things  were  always  pretty  much  the  same.  There's 
nothing  new  in  the  condition  of  the  world  that  I  can 
see." 

"  You  may  not  see  it,  but  there  is.  We're  on  the 
brink  of  a  revolution — the  biggest  thing  of  the  kind 
that  there  has  ever  been.  And  the  cause  of  it  is  the 
concentration  of  wealth  in  the  hands  of  a  few  people  who 
are  using  it  for  purely  selfish  purposes.  Any  student  of 
sociology  will  tell  you  the  same  thing.  It's  a  well-known 
fact.  Now  what  is  our  duty  under  the  circumstances? 
What  is  the  duty  of  every  well-disposed  person  who 
values  the  stability  of  civilisation?  Obviously  it  is  to 
prevent  the  selfish,  depraved,  and  fundamentally  immoral 
people  from  acquiring  wealth ;  to  see  that  only  the  well- 
intentioned  and  public-spirited  get  rich.  That  is  the  gen- 
eral principle.  Now  apply  it  to  the  particular  case  we  are 
discussing.  On  this  island  there  is  untold  wealth  in  solid 
gold." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  the  Major,  "  that  I  shall  come  to 
believe  that  in  the  end.  I  hear  it  so  often  that  I  shan't 
be  able  to  help  myself." 

"  There  are  just  two  parties  who  stand  a  chance  of 
possessing  themselves  of  it.  There's  no  one  else  in  the 
running  for  this  particular  scoop." 


170  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  What  about  Higginbotham  and  Thomas 
O'Flaherty?" 

"  You  might  just  as  well  say,  What  about  Mary  Kate 
and  Michael  Pat?  They're  not  in  it.  Higginbotham 
is  a  Government  official,  to  mention  only  one  point,  and 
is  so  much  occupied  in  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the 
people  that  he  simply  wouldn't  have  time  to  spend  the 
money,  even  if  he  got  it.  No.  There's  us  and  there's 
Sir  Giles  and  Langton.  That's  all.  Now,  ex  hypothesi 
— you  know  what  I  mean  by  ex  hypothesi,  don't 
you?" 

"  I  do,  but  don't  let  that  stop  you  if  you  have  any 
fancy  for  explaining  it.  I  shan't  mind  listening." 

"  Your  suggestion,  Major,  as  one  of  the  members  of 
our  District  Council  said  the  other  day,  when  some  one 
accused  them  all  of  being  drunk,  is  quite  uncalled  for. 
It's  only  for  your  sake,  to  quiet  your  conscience  about 
the  treasure,  that  I'm  going  into  the  matter  at  all.  My 
own  mind  is  quite  clear.  I  haven't  any  doubts  about  Sir 
Giles." 

"  If  that's  all,  you  needn't  go  into  it  any  more." 

"  All  right.  I  won't.  Have  another  sardine  ? 
There  are  two  left  in  the  tin.  Now  that  I've  finished 
my  pipe  I  feel  that  I  could  do  with  one  of  them.  In 
fact  I  could  manage  them  both  if  you  don't  want  the 
other." 

"  I  don't." 

"Sure?  Oh,  well,  rather  than  let  them  go  to  waste, 
I'll  eat  them." 

He  took  them  one  after  the  other  by  their  tails,  and, 
throwing  his  head  back,  dropped  them  into  his  mouth. 
With  his  penknife  he  scraped  out  of  the  pot  some  frag- 
ments of  jam  which  lingered  near  the  bottom.  There 


SPANISH  GOLD  171 

was  no  more  bread.  Having  finished  this  scanty  second 
breakfast  he  stood  up  and  stretched  himself.  Then  he 
announced  that  it  was  time  to  start.  Major  Kent  rose 
unwillingly  and  took  up  the  paddles.  Meldon  swung  the 
punt  on  to  his  back  again. 

"  No  sign  of  old  T.  O.  P.  this  morning,"  he  said. 
"  We've  successfully  given  him  the  slip.  I  expect  he's 
cowering  in  his  gloomy  cabin,  meditating  on  fresh  ways 
of  defeating  Higginbotham.  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  have 
probably  stopped  shouting  for  help  by  this  time.  They're 
too  hoarse,  I  expect,  to  shout  any  more.  They  are  now 
reduced  to  gnashing  their  teeth  silently  and  muttering 
frightful  oaths.  Higginbotham  is  searching  for  bacilli 
on  Inishmore.  Poor  Higginbotham!  I'm  afraid  it'll  be 
a  dull  and  trying  day  for  him.  But  we'll  make  it  up  to 
him  afterwards.  Mary  Kate  is,  I  hope,  doing  her  duty  by 
her  little  cousin  Michael  Pat  and  making  things  a  bit 
easier  for  young  Mrs.  O'Flaherty.  When  we  get  back 
to  Ballymoy,  Major,  we'll  send  a  good  stiff  bottle  off  to 
the  old  woman.  Remind  me  of  that,  will  you,  in  case  it 
slips  my  memory.  On  the  whole,  things  look  rosy  for 
you  and  me — a  great  deal  rosier  than  I  ever  recollect  them 
looking  before.  Come  along  now,  we've  no  more  time  to 
waste." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IT  is  not  easy  to  carry  a  punt — even  the  kind  of 
punt  that  folds  up — over  rugged  and  slippery 
rocks.  Meldon  stumbled  frequently  and  fell  three 
times.  He  cut  his  elbow  and  reopened  the  rent  in 
the  knee  of  his  trousers  which  he  had  laboriously 
sewed  up  after  his  first  expedition  round  the  coast 
of  the  island.  His  cheerfulness  was  untouched  by 
misfortune.  His  energy  carried  him  far  ahead  of 
Major  Kent,  who  had  the  lighter  load.  Even  when 
he  found  himself  on  his  hands  and  knees  among 
seaweed  and  pools  he  preserved  the  punt  from  injury. 
He  arrived  at  last  at  the  point  on  which  he  had 
decided  that  the  Spanish  galleon  must  have  struck, 
scrambled  round  it  and  reached  the  ledge  of  rock 
above  the  channel.  He  was  breathless,  dishevelled, 
and  so  hot  that  he  wished  very  much  to  swim 
rather  than  row  to  the  hole  in  the  cliff.  He  put 
the  temptation  aside.  Major  Kent,  labouring  heavily 
with  the  paddles  over  one  shoulder,  appeared  at  the  cor- 
ner. Meldon  unfolded  and  stretched  the  canvas  punt. 
He  made  fast  the  rope,  which  he  had  used  as  a  sling, 
to  the  ring  in  her  bow,  and  launched  her  very  carefully. 
He  insisted  on  embarking  at  once  when  the  Major  ar- 
rived. 

172 


SPANISH  GOLD 


173 


"  No  sign  of  any  one  swinging  down  over  the  cliff 
to-day,"  he  said,  looking  over  his  shoulder  as  he  paddled 
up  the  channel.  "  Sir  Giles  is  otherwise  and  perhaps] 
less  innocently  occupied.  He  is  certainly  swearing  fright- 
fully. He  is  very  likely  at  this  moment  cutting  Lang- 
ton's  throat." 

"  It  isn't  Langton's  throat  he'll  cut.  Langton  didn't 
set  his  punt  adrift." 

"  I  dare  say  he'd  rather  cut  mine  if  he  could,  but 
in  the  sort  of  temper  he's  in  at  present  it'll  be  almost 
necessary  for  him  to  murder  somebody  at  once." 

"  But  what  has  he  against  Langton? " 

"  Oh,  you  can't  always  account  for  deeds  of  that  sort. 
They  are  what  the  French  call  crimes  of  passion.  By 
the  way,  did  you  ever  read  Lombroso  on  Crime?  You 
ought  to.  He's  a  tremendous  fellow  for  the  physical 
characteristics  of  the  criminal.  I'd  like  him  to  have 

a   look   at   Sir   Giles.     I   expect Hullo!   here   we 

are!" 

The  punt  grounded  at  the  very  mouth  of  the  hole. 
There  were  still  a  few  inches  of  water  in  the  entrance, 
and  the  little  beach  on  which  Sir  Giles  had  stood  two 
days  before  was  not  yet  uncovered.  Meldon  stepped 
out  of  the  punt,  knelt  down,  and  peered  into  the 
hole. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  We  can  get  in  easily.  It 
doesn't  matter  if  we  get  a  little  wet." 

He  took  the  painter  of  the  punt  in  his  hand  and 
crawled  into  the  hole.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  his  voice, 
sounding  hollowly,  reached  Major  Kent. 

"  Come  along.  It's  only  the  entrance  that's  really 
narrow.  It's  quite  a  large  cave  when  you're  inside, 
and  not  nearly  so  dark  as  you'd  expect.  You  don'ti 


174  SPANISH  GOLD 

have  to  crawl  more  than  a  few  yards  in  the  water. 
The  ground  rises  rapidly  and  it's  quite  dry  where  I 
am  now." 

Major  Kent  disliked  very  much  the  idea  of  crawling 
even  a  few  yards  through  water;  but  he  knew  that  it 
was  no  use  holding  back.  Meldon  was  quite  capable  of 
emerging  and  dragging  him  by  main  force  into  the  hole. 
Very  unwillingly  he  stooped  down  and  crept  for- 
ward. 

"  It's  not  a  bad  place,  is  it  ?  "  said  Meldon,  "  and  a 
pretty  good  size.  You  can  sit  straight  up  here  and 
hardly  bump  your  head  at  all." 

He  made  fast  the  painter  of  the  punt  to  a  large  stone 
as  he  spoke.  "  She'll  be  all  safe.  The  tide  will  leave 
her  high  and  dry  in  another  half-hour.  I  wonder 
how  far  this  cave  goes?  I  expect  the  Spanish  captain 
dumped  his  treasure  right  at  the  far  end.  Come 
along." 

It  was  difficult  to  get  along  at  first.  Walking  over 
large  round  stones  which  roll  about  when  trodden 
on  is  never  easy.  It  becomes  extremely  troublesome 
when  it  is  only  possible  to  proceed  either  on  all 
fours  or  bent  double — when  the  roof  is  so  low  that 
an  unguarded  movement  results  in  a  blow  on  the 
head.  But  things  got  pleasanter  after  a  little  while. 
The  ground  sloped  rapidly  upwards.  Meldon  and 
the  Major  were  soon  above  high- water  mark.  Then 
the  stones  on  which  they  walked  were  no  longer 
so  smoothly  rounded  and  were  much  less  liable  to 
roll. 

"  What  beats  me  about  this  cave,"  said  Meldon,  "  is 
that  it  isn't  darker.  It  doesn't  seem  to  get  any  darker 
either  as  we  go  on." 


SPANISH  GOLD  175 

The  roof  rose  higher.  It  became  possible  to  walk  up- 
right. Major  Kent  stretched  himself  at  last  to  his  full 
height  and  looked  round  him.  The  rocks  on  each  side 
had  widened  out,  leaving  a  space  between  them.  They 
and  the  roof  were  quite  visible  in  a  dim  light  which  came 
from  the  depths  of  the  cave. 

"  It's  interesting  to  think,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  the 
last  human  feet  which  trod  these  stones  were  those  of 
the  Spanish  captain  and  his  crew.  It  must  have  been 
tough  work  dragging  the  cases  of  bullion  along  through 
that  narrow  part.  We  can't  have  much  farther  to  go 
now.  I  see  what  looks  like  the  end  in  front  of 
us.  But  I  can't  understand  where  the  light  comes 
from." 

He  went  on  a  few  yards  and  then  gave  a  sudden 
shout — a  kind  of  cheer — half-smothered  by  excitement. 
He  ran  forward,  stumbling  desperately  among  the 
loose  stones,  but  picking  himself  up  and  bounding 
on  with  outstretched  arms.  Major  Kent,  stirred  at 
last  out  of  his  grumbling  indifference,  ran  after  him. 
Meldon  stopped  abruptly.  Before  him,  laid  on  a 
slab  of  rock  at  the  side  of  the  cave,  were  two  iron  chests. 
Their  lids  stood  wide  open.  They  were  perfectly 
empty. 

"Good  God!"  said  Major  Kent,  "there  was 
something  here  after  all,  I  must  say,  J.  J.,  I  didn't 
believe  in  your  treasure  till  this  minute,  and  now  it's 
gone." 

"  It's  gone,"  said  Meldon,  "  but  it  can't  be  gone  far. 
Every  argument  for  believing  that  it's  still  on  the  island 
holds  good.  Don't  you  lose  heart.  What  we've  got  to 
do  now  is  to  turn  to  and  find  out  where  it's  gone  and 
who's  got  it." 


176  SPANISH  GOLD 

He  took  another  glance  at  the  empty  chests  and  then 
looked  on  from  where  they  lay. 

"  This  isn't  the  end  of  the  cave,"  he  said.  "  It  takes 
a  sharp  bend  to  the  right.  See  how  the  light,  coming 
round  the  corner  strikes  that  wall.  Let's  go  on  and  see 
where  the  cave  does  end  and  where  the  light  conies 
from." 

"  I  don't  see,"  he  said  as  he  stumbled  on,  "  how  Sir 
Giles  can  have  got  it.  I've  watched  him  like  a  cat  does 
a  mouse.  The  only  time  he  got  away  from  me  was  yes- 
terday afternoon  when  he  went  up  to  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat's  house,  and  I  had  Mary  Kate  watching  him  then. 
Great  Scott !  What's  that  ?  " 

The  crash  of  some  heavy  body  falling  on  the  boulders 
set  the  whole  cave  echoing.  Meldon  stood  still  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"  If  you  ask  me,"  said  the  Major,  "  I  should  say  that 
the  roof's  falling  in.  We'd  better  clear  out  of  this  while 
we  can." 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  the  roof  does  fall  in. 
I  don't  care  if  the  whole  island  crumbles  into  bits  and 
comes  rattling  down  on  top  of  my  head.  I'm  going  to 
see  this  business  through." 

He  went  forward  very  cautiously,  peering  in  front  of 
him,  until  he  reached  the  place  where  the  cave  bent  to 
the  right.  He  stood  still  for  a  minute.  Then  he  turned 
and  went  back  to  where  the  Major  waited. 

"  It's  Sir  Giles,"  he  said.  "  He's  come  down  through' 
the  roof,  and  he's  standing  there  looking  up  while 
something  is  being  lowered  to  him.  I  have  it,  Major. 
The  hole  in  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  field!  Mary 
Kate  told  me  they  were  looking  at  it  yesterday.  What 
an  ass  I  was  not  to  think  of  it  before!  Of  course  it 


SPANISH  GOLD  177 

opens  straight  down  into  this  cave.  It  couldn't  do  any- 
thing else.  Why  didn't  I  think  of  that  sooner?  Come 
on,  now,  Major.  As  Sir  Giles  is  here,  we  may  as  well 
have  a  talk  with  him." 

Taking  Major  Kent  by  the  arm  he  stepped  forward, 
turned  the  corner,  and  came  in  sight  of  Sir  Giles  Buck- 
ley, who  was  lighting  a  lantern.  Meldon  recognised  it 
at  once  as  the  riding-light  of  the  Aureole. 

"  Good-morning,  Sir  Giles,"  he  said.  "  You  won't  need 
that  lantern.  The  cave  is  quite  light." 

Sir  Giles  started  and  turned  quickly. 

"  Oh,  it's  the  damned  parson,"  he  said.  "  I  more  than 
half  expected  you'd  be  here." 

"  I  don't  mind  owning,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  I  did  not 
expect  to  see  you.  You  swam  ashore  from  the  yacht,  I 
suppose." 

"  No,  you  didn't  expect  me.  I  dare  say  you  thought 
you  had  me  boxed  up  for  the  day  when  you  played  that 
fool's  trick,  setting  my  punt  adrift." 

"  It's  my  punt,  not  yours.  But  as  we're  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  punt,  how  did  you  get  ashore?  " 

"  As  soon  as  I  found  she  was  gone,"  said  Sir  Giles, 
"  I  got  up  the  mainsail  and  went  after  her.  Any  one 
who  wasn't  a  perfect  ass  would  have  known  before- 
hand that  I'd  do  that.  You  must  think  that  everybody 
in  the  world  is  as  big  an  idiot  as  you  are  yourself.  Did 
you  suppose  that  I'd  sit  still  and  whistle  hymn-tunes  un- 
til you  came  back  and  put  me  ashore  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  suppose  anything  of  the  sort.  I  thought 
you'd  swear  every  oath  you  knew  five  or  six  times  over 
and  then  cut  Langton's  throat." 

"  You  drivelling  imbecile !  " 

"  Go  on,"  said  Meldon,  "  call  me  any  other  name  that 


178  SPANISH  GOLD 

occurs  to  you.  When  you've  finished  perhaps  you'll 
walk  down  the  cave  a  bit  and  I'll  show  you  whether  I'm 
a  fool  or  not." 

He  turned  and  walked  away,  followed  by  Major  Kent. 
Sir  Giles  eyed  them  doubtfully  for  a  minute  and  then 
went  after  them.  When  he  reached  the  slab  of  rock  on 
which  the  chests  lay,  Meldon  turned  and  made  sure  that 
Sir  Giles  was  at  his  heels.  With  a  dramatic  gesture  he 
pointed  to  the  chests. 

"  Empty,  Sir  Giles,"  he  said.  "  Look  in  and  make  sure. 
Quite  empty." 

"Have  you  got  the  stuff?"  said  Sir  Giles.  "Damn 
it !  you  can't  have  it.  I  don't  believe  you've  touched  it." 

"  Believe  whatever  you  like,  but  there's  one  thing  you 
may  bet  on  with  perfect  safety.  Whether  we've  got  it 
or  not,  you  haven't,  and  what's  more  you  never  will. 
Now,  who's  the  fool,  the  ass,  the  idiot,  and  the  drivelling 
imbecile  ?  " 

Sir  Giles  glared  at  Meldon.  It  was  evident  that  he. 
was  in  an  extremely  bad  temper.  His  face  became 
first  white  and  then  crimson.  He  opened  his  mouth 
to  speak,  but  no  sound  issued  from  it  except  a  sort  of 
hoarse  gurgle  produced  apparently  far  down  in  his 
throat. 

"  Don't  let  your  temper  get  the  better  of  you,"  said 
Meldon.  "  It's  foolish,  besides  being  bad  form.  And 
remember  what  I  said  to  you  the  day  we  first  met  about 
swearing.  Excuse  my  reminding  you  of  that,  but  I  can't 
help  thinking  that  you  mean  to  curse  as  soon  as  ever 
you  can.  You  have  all  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  is 
struggling  to  find  expression  for  strong  feelings  of  some 
kind." 

Sir  Giles  stuttered  out  an  oath.    Having  succeeded 


SPANISH  GOLD 


179 


in  giving  utterance  to  one  intelligible  syllable,  he 
obtained  all  at  once  complete  command  of  his  powers 
of  speech.  He  poured  forth  a  series  of  voluble  im- 
precations and  expressed  hopes  for  Meldon's  future 
which  would  have  startled  the  author  of  the  most 
emphatic  of  the  Psalms.  He  was  interrupted  by  a 
loud  crash  from  the  depths  of  the  cave.  He  started 
violently. 

"What  the  devil's  that ?" 

"  It's  uncommonly  like  the  noise  you  made  yourself 
when  you  came  down  through  the  roof.  My  own  opin- 
ion is  that  it's  Langton.  He'd  be  likely  enough  to  drop 
in  to  see  that  you  didn't  sneak  off  with  any  more  than 
your  own  proper  share  of  the  treasure.  Come  along  and 
we'll  see." 

He  went  up  again  to  the  place  where  he  had  met  Sir 
Giles.  Langton,  who  had  descended  very  much  more 
rapidly  than  he  wished,  sat  on  a  stone  nursing  a  bruised 
knee. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Langton,"  said  Meldon.  "  Pm 
delighted  to  see  you.  I  hope  you  haven't  hurt  your- 
self. As  far  as  I  could  judge  by  the  noise,  you  must 
have  come  down  rather  hard.  However,  I'm  glad 
you're  here.  You  must  take  Sir  Giles  in  hand  and  look 
after  him  a  bit.  He  very  nearly  had  a  fit  just  now. 
You  ought  to  see  to  it  that  he  takes  some  kind  of  cool- 
ing medicine  three  times  a  day — bromides,  or  castor- 
oil,  or  something  of  that  sort.  Any  chemist  would  make 
the  mixture  up  for  you  if  you  told  him  the  kind  of  thing 
you  wanted.  Or  if  there's  no  good  man  in  your  neigh- 
bourhood try  one  of  those  soothing  syrup  stuffs  you'll 
see  advertised  in  Christmas  numbers.  I  dare  say  they're 
all  right.  I  hesitate  as  a  rule  about  recommending  patent 


i8o  SPANISH  GOLD 

medicines,  but  you  can  see  for  yourself  that  your  friend 
wants  something." 

"  What  the  devil  brings  you  here  ?  "  said  Sir  Giles.  "  I 
told  you  to  wait  at  the  top  for  me.  Who's  going  to  haul 
us  up  now,  I'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

Langton,  still  nursing  his  knee,  sat  in  sulky  silence. 
Meldon  looked  up  at  the  hole  above  his  head.  Peer- 
ing over  the  hedge  of  it  was  the  benevolent  and  aristo- 
cratic face  of  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  His  long  white 
beard  drooped  down.  His  white  hair  completed  a  kind 
of  moonlight  aureole  round  his  head.  His  face  expressed 
a  mild  and  entirely  courteous  interest  in  the  doings  of  the 
men  below  him. 

"  It's  all  right,"  said  Meldon  to  Sir  Giles.  "  There's 
a  dear  old  fellow  up  there,  a  great  friend  of  mine,  who'll 
do  what  he  can  to  pull  you  up,  I'm  sure.  He's  not  very 
strong,  and  he  may  not  be  able  to  haul  you  quite  the 
whole  way,  but  he'll  do  his  best.  And  you're  taking  risks 
in  any  case.  I  see  you're  using  the  throat  halyard  of  my 
boat  again  in  spite  of  the  warning  I  gave  you  the  day 
before  yesterday.  If  I  were  you  I'd  make  Langton  lie 
down  flat  underneath  you  as  you  go  up.  He'd  break 
your  fall  a  good  deal  in  case " 

"  Come  out  of  this,"  said  Sir  Giles,  taking  the  rope 
from  Langton  and  fitting  it  round  his  own  armpits. 
"  I'll  go  mad  if  I  have  to  stand  here  any  longer  listen- 
ing to  that  ape  gibbering.  Hi !  you  above  there !  Haul 
up!" 

"  I  forgot  to  mention,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  the  old 
gentleman  doesn't  understand  a  word  of  English.  My 
jfriend  Higginbotham,  who  has  important  business  to 
transact  with  him,  is  learning  Irish  on  purpose  to  be  able 
to  carry  on  the  necessary  conversations." 


SPANISH  GOLD  181 

Sir  Giles  plucked  furiously  at  the  rope  and  shouted 
again. 

"  There's  no  use  trying  to  make  him  understand  by 
shouting,"  said  Meldon,  "  he's  not  the  least  deaf.  The 
best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  wait  here  quietly  till  the 
Major  and  I  get  away  in  our  punt  and  back  to  the  far 
side  of  the  island.  It'll  only  take  us  about  two  hours. 
You  and  Langton  can  talk  things  over  together  while 
you're  waiting.  I'll  send  up  a  little  girl  called  Mary  Kate 
who  understands  both  languages.  You  can  tell  her  what 
you  want  and  she  will  explain  it  to  her  grandfather.  But 
I  do  ask  you  to  remember,  Sir  Giles,  that  she's  a  little  girl. 
I  don't  want  to  rub  it  in  about  your  language,  but  there 
are  some  things  that  a  girl  of  ten  years  old — you  know 
what  I  mean." 

Sir  Giles  stooped  and  took  up  a  large  stone  in  both 
hands. 

"If  you  utter  another  word,"  he  said,  "  I'll  bash  in 
your  skull  with  this." 

"  If  you'd  keep  calm,"  said  Meldon,  "  you'd  run  much 
less  chance  of  bursting  a  blood-vessel.  You  ought  to  be 
able  to  realise  that  I'm  giving  you  sound  advice  and  speak- 
ing for  your  own  good." 

Sir  Giles  raised  his  two  hands  above  his  head  with 
the  stone  between  them.  He  held  it  there,  poised  for 
several  seconds,  taking  aim  at  Meldon.  The  rope  round 
his  armpits  tightened  suddenly.  He  was  lifted  from  his 
feet.  He  dangled  in  mid-air,  hands  and  feet  hanging 
down.  When  he  was  about  eight  feet  above  the  ground 
he  ceased  to  ascend.  He  writhed  and  wriggled,  with  the 
result  that  he  began  to  spin  rapidly  round  and  round  at 
the  end  of  the  rope. 

"  If  I  were  you,"  said  Meldon,  "  I'd  drop  that  stone. 


1 82  SPANISH  GOLD 

It  adds  considerably  to  your  weight.  I  told  you  before 
that  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  is  anything  but  a 
strong  man.  I'm  sure  he's  doing  his  best,  but  it  looks 
to  me  as  if  he  was  pretty  nearly  played  out.  It's  trying 
him  too  high  to  make  him  hoist  both  you  and  the  stone 
at  once.  I'll  send  it  up  to  you  afterwards  if  you  really 
want  it.  But  I  can't  see  what  use  it  will  be  to  you. 
There  are  plenty  of  stones  up  above.  The  island  is 
simply  covered  with  stones,  every  bit  as  good  ar  that 
one." 

The  ascent  commenced  again  and  continued  jerkily  with 
many  pauses,  until  at  last  Sir  Giles  disappeared  through 
the  hole. 

"  I  think,"  said  Meldon  to  the  Major,  "  that  you  and 
I  may  as  well  be  dodging  off  home  now.  Goodbye, 
Mr.  Langton.  We  can't  be  of  any  further  use  to  you. 
Sir  Giles  will  pull  you  up  all  right.  If  I  were  you  I 
wouldn't  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  go.  His  temper 
won't  be  by  any  means  improved  by  the  argument 
he'll  have  with  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  You  can't 
imagine  how  trying  it  is  to  argue  with  a  man  who 
can't  understand  a  word  you  say  and  can't  speak  so 
as  you  can  understand  him.  That  old  fellow  has  just 
one  sentence,  something  about  '  Ni  beurla.'  He  says  it 
over  and  over  again  in  a  way  that  would  get  on  the 
nerves  of  a  cow.  It  takes  a  cool  man  to  stand  it. 
Higginbotham  gets  quite  mad,  and  even  I  have  to  keep 
a  tight  grip  on  my  temper.  The  effect  on  Sir  Giles 
will  be  frightful.  And  he  has  that  stone  with  him. 
He  would  insist  on  clinging  to  it.  Goodbye,  Mr. 
Langton." 

Meldon  and  Major  Kent  went  down  the  cave  to- 
gether. The  tide  had  completely  ebbed,  and  it  was  pos- 


SPANISH  GOLD  183 

sible  to  crawl  through  the  entrance  without  getting  wet. 
The  punt,  which  lay  high  and  dry,  was  carried  down  to 
the  water  and  launched.  Meldon,  as  usual,  took  the  pad- 
dles. 

"  One  thing,"  he  said  thoughtfully,  "  seems  perfectly 
clear.  Sir  Giles  hasn't  got  the  treasure.  If  he  had  he 
wouldn't  have  got  into  such  a  beastly  temper." 

"  That  coup  of  yours  about  the  punt  didn't  precisely 
come  off,"  said  the  Major  with  a  grin.  "  He  rather  had 
you  over  that,  I  thought." 

Meldon  ignored  the  taunt. 

"  The  question  now  is,"  he  said,  "  who  has  the  treasure  ? 
The  position  seems  to  me  to  require  some  thinking  out. 
It  is  becoming  complex.  I'm  glad  we  have  a  long,  quiet 
afternoon  before  us." 

They  reached  the  shelf  of  rock,  disembarked,  and  folded 
up  the  punt. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  you  hadn't  insisted  on 
my  finishing  off  those  two  sardines  this  morning.  I'm 
very  hungry  now." 

"  You'll  get  nothing  more  to  eat  till  you  get  back 
to  the  Spindrift,  unless  you  happen  to  come  across 
that  crab  which  you  lost  the  first  day  we  were 
here." 

"  I  wouldn't  eat  £  raw  crab  any  way.  I'm  not  a 
cannibal.  Come  on  and  let  us  get  back  as  quick  as  we 
can." 

The  disappointment  of  the  morning  and  the  sharp 
appetite  which  followed  hard  work  in  the  open 
air  affected  even  Meldon's  temper.  He  spoke  no  more 
for  some  time,  but  scrambled  doggedly  along,  only 
a  few  yards  ahead  of  Major  Kent.  Gradually  the 
extreme  interest  of  the  treasure-hunt  took  possession 


184  SPANISH  GOLD 

of  his  mind  again  and  restored  his  cheerful  self- 
confidence. 

"  You'll  admit  now,"  he  said,  "  that  I  reasoned  per- 
fectly correctly  about  that  treasure.  The  Spanish  captain 
hid  it  precisely  where  I  said  he  did." 

"  There  was  only  one  point  you  went  wrong  about," 
said  the  Major.  "  You  said  the  treasure  was  in  that 
cave  and  it  wasn't." 

"  It  was,  originally.  I  couldn't  be  expected  to  fore- 
see that  some  one  would  remove  it  and  hide  it  again 
in  another  place.  That's  what  has  happened.  Now  that 
I  know  it's  gone,  I'll  turn  to  and  reason  out  where  it's 
gone  to.  If  it  hasn't  got  any  rightful  owner  we'll  get 
it  yet." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  a  rightful  owner  ?  " 

"  A  live  man,"  said  Meldon.  "  If  it  was  removed  and 
hidden  by  some  fellow  that's  dead  and  gone,  then  he's  no 
more  the  owner  of  it  now  than  the  Spanish  captain  is. 
If  there  is  a  rightful  owner,  of  course  we're  done.  I'm 
not  going  to  commit  robbery  even  for  the  sake  of  getting 
that  treasure." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  that  anyway." 

"  Now,  there  are  just  two  people  at  present  alive  who 
can  possibly  have  that  treasure.  One  is  Higginbotham. 
The  other  is  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  I'll  take  Higgin- 
botham first." 

"  What's  the  good  of  that  ?  If  Higginbotham  has  it  he 
will  keep  it." 

"  Still  it  would  be  interesting  to  know.  In  favour 
of  Higginbotham  it  may  be  urged  that  he  has  evidently 
made  a  very  careful  investigation  of  this  island.  You 
see  how  glibly  he  came  out  with  that  information 
about  the  pliocene  clay.  Now  would  he  have  known 


SPANISH  GOLD  185 

that  if  he  hadn't,  so  to  speak,  got  at  the  inside  of  the 
island?  That  sort  of  clay  doesn't  lie  about  on  the  sur- 
face for  everybody  to  see." 

"Why  shouldn't  it?" 

"  Oh,  just  because  those  fundamental  things  never 
do  lie  on  the  surface.  A  fellow  wouldn't  find  out 
what  your  backbone  consisted  of  by  just  looking  at  your 
skin,  would  he?  He'd  have  to  put  you  on  an  operating 
table  and  cut  a  hole  in  you  to  find  that  out.  It's  just 
the  same  with  islands.  Higginbotham  knew  that  this 
island  consisted  of  pliocene  clay.  Very  well,  it  follows 
that  he  must  have  gone  beyond  the  surface  of  the 
island." 

"  Prompted,  I  suppose,  by  an  unholy  curiosity." 

"  Prompted  by  a  stern  sense  of  duty.  He  is 
employed  by  the  Government  at  an  enormous  salary, 
no  doubt,  to  find  out  all  he  can  about  this  island. 
Naturally  he  either  digs  a  hole  or  goes  down  some 
hole  already  in  existence.  Now,  so  far  as  we  know, 
Thomas  O'Flaherty's  hole  is  the  only  one  there  is. 
Therefore  it  seems  likely  that  Higginbotham  went 
down  it.  If  he  did  he  found  the  treasure  and  has  it 
now." 

"  It's  all  the  same  to  us  who  has  it.  As  I  said  before, 
if  Higginbotham  has  it,  he'll  keep  it." 

"  I  didn't  say  Higginbotham  had  it.  So  far  I've  only 
considered  what  is  to  be  said  in  favour  of  what  I  may  call 
the  Higginbotham  hypothesis." 

"  Don't  start  on  hypotheses  again,  J.  J.  I'm  sick  of  the 
sound  of  the  word." 

"I  can't  help  it  if  you  are.  The  proposal  of  an 
hypothesis  is  the  only  known  method  of  finding  out 
truth.  I  tell  you,  Major,  I've  gone  pretty  deep  into 


i86  SPANISH  GOLD 

these  philosophic  and  scientific  questions,  and  I  know 
what  I'm  talking  about.  You  ask  any  first-rate  man  and 
he'll  tell  you  the  same  thing.  Now,  against  Higginbotham 
there's  just  one  broad  fact  to  be  urged,  but  I  candidly 
confess  it  seems  to  me  to  be  decisive.  Higginbotham 
isn't  the  kind  of  man  who  would  come  upon  hidden  treas- 
ure even  by  accident.  He  has  too  much  of  the  official 
mind.  It's  almost  impossible  to  think  of  a  Congested 
Districts  Board  official  gloating  over  Spanish  gold.  That 
puts  Higginbotham  out  of  court.  There  remains  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat.  You'll  recollect  that  I've  always  had 
my  suspicions  of  that  old  man.  The  way  he  followed 
us  the  first  day  we  went  round  the  cliff's  was  peculiar, 
to  say  the  least  of  it.  His  persistent  refusal  to  speak 
a  word  of  English  points  to  the  fact  that  he  has  some- 
thing or  other  to  conceal.  I  shall  have  to  go  into  his 
case  very  carefully  indeed.  But  here  we  are  at  the 
foot  of  the  path.  I  can't  climb  up  a  cliff  with  a 
punt  on  my  back  and  talk  at  the  same  time.  I'll  have  to 
put  off  discussing  old  O'Flaherty  till  we  get  to  the 
top." 

After  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  hard  work  Meldon  reached 
the  head  of  the  path,  drew  a  long  breath  and  took  a  look 
at  the  bay  below  him.  Then  he  laid  down  the  punt  hur- 
riedly and  turned  to  the  Major,  who  was  still  struggling 
upwards. 

"  There's  another  yacht  in  the  bay,"  he  said — "  a  big 
steam  yacht." 

Major  Kent  hurried  over  the  last  few  steps  of  the 
climb. 

"  You're  right,"  he  said.  "  There  is.  If  I'd  known 
that  this  was  to  be  a  kind  of  Cowes  week  at  Inish- 
gowlan  I  wouldn't  have  come  near  the  place.  I 


SPANISH  GOLD  187 

suppose  the  next  thing  will  be  some  fellow  coming 
round  and  asking  us  to  act  on  the  committee  of  a 
regatta." 

"  That's  a  biggish  boat,"  said  Meldon.  "  The  man  who 
owns  her  must  be  pretty  wealthy.  Now  what  has  he  come 
here  for?" 

"  Treasure-hunting,  of  course,"  said  the  Major.  "  No- 
body comes  here  for  anything  else." 

"  Don't  jump  at  conclusions  in  that  way.  There's  noth- 
ing so  unphilosophic  as  forming  conclusions  on  insufficient 
evidence,  and  in  this  case  you  simply  haven't  any  evidence 
at  all." 

"  It  wasn't  a  conclusion,"  said  the  Major.  "  It  was  an 
hypothesis.  Of  course  if  you've  any  better  hypothesis  to 
offer " 

"  I  have.  I  believe,  in  fact  I'm  practically  certain,  that 
the  men  on  that  yacht  are  Members  of  Parliament." 

"  You  said  that  about  Sir  Giles  and  you  turned  out  to 
be  wrong." 

"  That's  just  what  makes  me  so  sure  I'm  right 
now.  I'll  explain  it  to  you  in  one  minute.  You've  some- 
times played  pitch-and-toss,  I  suppose — I  mean  as  a 
boy." 

"  I  have." 

"  Very  well.  Now  suppose  the  other  fellow  tossed  the 
penny.  You  called  heads  and  it  turned  out  that  you  were 
wrong.  You'd  be  practically  certain  it  was  tails,  wouldn't 
you?  There  you  are,  then.  I  was  wrong  about  Sir 
Giles  being  a  Member  of  Parliament,  therefore 
I'm  nearly  sure  to  be  right  when  I  say  that  this  man 
is." 

"  I  don't  see  that.  Not  that  it's  any  use  arguing  with 
you." 


i88  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  If  you  don't  see  a  simple  thing  like  that,  it  isn't  any 
use." 

"  All  the  same  I  will,"  said  the  Major.  "  Just  for  once 
I'll  show  you  what  rot  you  talk.  You  said  it  must  be 
either  heads  or  tails." 

"  I  didn't.  I  said  it  was  nearly  sure  to  be  either  heads 
or  tails.  The  penny  might  light  in  a  mud  heap  and  stand 
on  its  edge." 

"  It's  no  use  reasoning  with  you." 

"  It  isn't,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  you  won't  reason  right." 

"  Look  here.  You  say  if  it  isn't  heads  it's  nearly  sure 
to  be  tails.  But  suppose  he  tossed  another  coin.  That's 
what's  happened  in  this  case." 

"  It's  just  the  same  with  any  coin.  There  are  only  two 
sides  to  the  best  of  them." 

"  What  I  mean  is  this.  Here's  a  fresh  yacht  altogether. 
Quite  a  different  yacht  from  the  Aureole  with  quite  differ- 
ent people  in  her.  It  isn't  a  case  of  heads  or  tails  at 
all." 

"  I  don't  in  the  least  see  what  you  mean,  and  I 
don't  believe  you  see  yourself.  But  you  may  take 
my  word  for  it,  Major,  that  there  is  at  least  one 
Member  of  Parliament  in  that  yacht.  There  may 
be  more,  but  I'll  bet  my  hat  there's  one.  Don't 
bother  your  head  any  more  about  that.  These 
things  only  make  you  irritable.  We'll  get  along 
back  to  the  Spindrift  and  have  a  bite  to  eat.  Then 
I'll  take  a  long,  quiet  afternoon  thinking  things 
out.  If  I  get  them  sized  up  to  my  satisfaction  I 
may  go  on  shore  before  tea  and  have  a  look  at 
Michael  Pat.  In  the  evening  I'll  find  out  how  Higgin- 
botham  got  on  with  the  tuberculosis  bacilli  on  Inish- 
more." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MELDON  stretched  himself  along  the  seat 
of  the  Spindrift's  cabin.  He  had  dined 
very  heartily  off  tinned  corned  beef  and  potatoes, 
followed  by  several  cups  of  strong  tea.  He  had 
lit  his  pipe  and  felt  happy.  The  unpleasant  duty 
of  washing  up  the  plates  and  cups  was  post- 
poned until  after  the  evening  meal,  when  one  job 
could  be  made  of  all  the  crockery  dirtied  during  the 
day. 

"  There's  one  good  thing  about  a  morning's  work 
such  as  we  have  had,"  he  said.  "  Even  if  you  haven't 
pulled  off  the  exact  thing  you  went  out  to  do,  you 
enjoy  your  dinner  and  your  smoke  afterwards  tre- 
mendously. I  expect  there  are  fellows  at  this  moment 
sitting  in  London  restaurants  and  clubs  and  places 
smoking  half-crown  cigars  after  gorging  themselves  with 
iced  souffles  and  pates  of  various  kinds,  who  aren't  get- 
ting half  the  satisfaction  that  I  am  out  of  this  pipe  of 
common  twist." 

Major  Kent  grunted.  He  was  disinclined  for  philo- 
sophic argument. 

"  There's  something  in  one  of  Horace's  odes  about  its 
not  being  Sicilian  feasts  but  hard  work  and  a  good 
conscience  which  bring  real  satisfaction.  I  can't  recollect 

189 


190  SPANISH  GOLD 

the  exact  words,  but  if  I  had  a  Horace  I  could  find 
them." 

"  I  wouldn't  give  Horace  too  much  credit  for  the 
remark,  even  if  he  made  it.  An  obvious  truth  of  that 
sort  must,  I  should  think,  have  been  discovered  by 
Adam." 

"  Adam  couldn't  have  discovered  it,"  said  Meldon. 
"  As  long  as  he  had  a  quiet  conscience  he  did  no  work, 
and  when  he  had  to  work  his  conscience  was  at  him 
day  and  night." 

Major  Kent  allowed  this  to  pass  without  contradic- 
tion. 

"  Besides,"  said  Meldon,  "  I  doubt  very  much 
whether  Adam  understood  the  use  of  tobacco.  If  he 
did  I  don't  see  how  the  secret  could  have  died  out.  It 
was  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  as  well  as  I  recollect,  who 
brought Hullo!  there's  somebody  hailing  us." 

"  Spindrift  ahoy !  " 

The  shout  floated  through  the  open  skylight  of  the 
cabin  while  Meldon  spoke. 

"  I  wonder  if  that's  Higginbotham  back  from  Inish- 
more,"  said  Major  Kent.  "  I  hope  he  hasn't  brought 
a  consumptive  patient  with  him.  If  he  has  you  may 
deal  with  him  yourself,  J.  J.  It's  no  affair  of  mine  and 
I  won't  help." 

"  I  hope  it's  not  Higginbotham ;  I  don't  feel  in  the 
mood  for  dealing  with  Higginbotham  just  now.  It's! 
as  likely  as  not  that  he'd  be  unreasonable  about  the 
bacillus  hunt." 

The  hail  was  repeated:  "Ahoy  there!  Spindrift 
ahoy!" 

"It  can't  be  Higginbotham,"  said  Meldon.  "He 
always  comes  on  board  without  hailing.  It  must  be 


SPANISH  GOLD  191 

that  new  Member  of  Parliament  off  the  steam 
yacht." 

"  Let's  lie  low  then  and  pretend  we're  not  here." 

"  Nonsense.  Members  of  Parliament  are  often  ex- 
tremely amusing.  We'll  have  him  in  and  listen  to  him 
talking  about  the  Irish  problem.  Get  out  the  whisky, 
Major.  These  fellows  all  drink  whisky  when  they  come 
to  this  country,  whether  they  actually  like  it  or  not.  I'll 
fetch  him  on  board." 

He  went  on  deck  and  discovered  to  his  surprise 
Sir  Giles  Buckley  and  Langton  in  the  Aureole's  punt 
alongside. 

"Hullo!"  he  said.  "What  brings  you  here?  If 
it's  a  new  throat  halyard  you  want  you  may  as  well 
go  straight  back  again.  We  haven't  a  rope  to  spare, 
and  I  warned  you  to  be  careful  about  the  one  you 
had." 

"The  throat  halyard  is  all  right,"  said  Sir  Giles. 
"  We  haven't  come  about  that.  We  want  to  have  a  little 
chat  with  you  and  your  friend." 

He  smiled  as  he  spoke.  Langton  also  smiled.  It  was 
evident  that  they  had  agreed  together  to  be  civil  and 
agreeable. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Meldon.  "  Come  on  board  if  you 
like." 

His  tone  was  not  very  cordial.  Sir  Giles  evidently 
felt  the  necessity  of  making  some  sort  of  an  apology 
before  he  accepted  the  invitation. 

"  I  should  like  to  explain,"  he  said,  "  that  I'm  sorry 
for  losing  my  temper  with  you  in  the  cave  this 
morning.  I  don't  make  any  excuse  for  myself,  of 
course,  but " 

"It's  all  right,"  said  Meldon  more  graciously.    "In 


192  SPANISH  GOLD 

fact,  I  ought  to  apologise  first  I  played  you  rather  a 
shabby  trick  with  the  punt  this  morning." 

"  Oh,  that  was  nothing.  We  didn't  mind,  did  we, 
Langton  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Langton.    "  We  laughed." 

"  Come  below,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  have  a  drink." 

Sir  Giles  and  Langton  seated  themselves  at  one  side 
of  the  table  in  the  Spindrift's  cabin.  Major  Kent  and 
Meldon  faced  them.  A  bottle  of  whisky  and  two 
syphons  of  soda-water  stood  on  the  table.  Tumblers 
were  filled  and  the  ceremony  of  pledging  each  other  duly 
performed.  Then  Sir  Giles  spoke: — 

"  Langton  and  I  were  naturally  disappointed  this 
morning  when  we  found  that  those  chests  in  the  cave 
were  empty.  I  think  I  may  take  it  for  granted  that  you 
two  gentlemen  were  disappointed  too,  though  I'm  bound 
to  say  you  didn't  show  it." 

"  You  may  take  it  that  way  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
if  you  like,"  said  Meldon  cautiously.  "  But  I  don't  ad- 
mit that  we  have  any  reason  to  be  disappointed.  It  all 
depends  on  who  emptied  the  chests." 

"  Come  now,"  said  Sir  Giles.  "  We  quite  understand 
that  you  don't  want  to  give  yourselves  away.  But  we 
don't  believe  you  have  the  treasure.  In  fact,  we're 
certain  you  haven't  I  think  it  will  pay  you  better  in 
the  long  run  to  be  straight  with  us.  We're  all  of  us 
out  of  it  at  present  What  I've  come  to  propose  is 
this.  Let  us  join  forces  and  find  the  stuff  wherever  it 
is.  I  don't  deny  that  Langton  and  I  would  rather 
keep  it  all  to  ourselves.  So,  no  doubt,  would  you  and 
your  friend.  But  we'd  rather  go  shares  with  you  than 
lose  it  altogether.  And  that's  what  will  happen  if  we 
spend  our  time  chasing  each  other  round  and  round 


SPANISH  com  i93 

this  wretched  little  island  as  we've  been  doing  for  the 
last  three  days." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ? "  said  Meldon. 

"  First  of  all  I  would  suggest  that  we  table  all  the 
information  we  have  about  the  treasure.  We'll  tell  all 
we  know  and  you'll  tell  all  you  know.  To  show  you 
that  we  mean  to  play  fair  I  don't  mind  speaking 
first." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Meldon.  "  We  agree  to  that.  Go 
ahead  with  your  story  and  I'll  tell  ours  afterwards." 

"  After  my  father's  death,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  I  got  the 
family  place,  house,  furniture,  and  so  forth,  and 
precious  little  else.  I  gave  orders  to  have  the  furniture 
sold  and  the  lawyer  sent  me  out  a  bundle  of  old 
papers.  I  wouldn't  have  bothered  myself  about  the 
papers  at  all,  only  that  just  at  the  time  they  came  I  had 
nothing  in  the  world  to  do.  I  don't  mind  owning  that 
I  was  pretty  well  stony-broke  just  then  and  was  stuck 
in  a  lodging  in  a  dirty  little  French  town.  I  read  the 
papers.  Among  them  was  an  old  diary  kept  by  my 
grandfather.  It  appears  that  he  paid  a  visit  to  this 
island  in  179$,  and " 

"  You  needn't  go  into  that,"  said  Meldon.  "  We  have 
papers  ourselves  which  give  us  all  the  information  your 
grandfather  had.  Major  Kent's  grandfather  kept  a  log, 
as  he  called  it,  of  that  expedition.  I  expect  that  both 
the  old  gentlemen  wrote  down  pretty  much  the  same 
thing — all  they  knew  about  the  matter." 

"I  didn't  think  anything  of  it,"  went  on  Sir  Giles, 
"until  I  happened  to  meet  another  stony-broke 
Englishman." 

"  I'm  an  Irishman,"  said  Langton. 

"  It's  all  the  same  thing,"  said  Sir  Giles. 


194  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Langton.  "  It's  not  the 
same  thing  at  all." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Meldon,  "  if  this  conference  is 
to  go  on  it  must  be  conducted  on  strictly  non-political 
lines." 

"What!"  said  Sir  Giles. 

"  My  friend,  Major  Kent,"  said  Meldon,  "  is  a  strong 
Unionist,  and  I  can't  allow  him  to  be  compromised  by 
any  political  arguments  of  a  Nationalist  kind." 

Sir  Giles  gaped  at  him. 

"  I  wasn't  talking  politics,"  he  said.  "  I  wasn't  think- 
ing about  politics.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  don't  care  a 
hang  for  any  politics." 

"  Langton  was  talking  politics,"  said  Meldon,  "  and 
you  were  arguing  with  him.  He  said  he  was  an  Irish- 
man and  you  said  he  wasn't.  Any  one  with  any 
experience  of  this  country  knows  where  that  sort  of 
talk  leads  to.  The  Major  can't  be  expected  to  stand 
it.  He's  a  Unionist,  one  of  the  loyal  and  oppressed 
minority,  and  it  isn't  right  to  outrage  his  feelings  by 
introducing  politics  into  what  ought  to  be  a  simple  busi- 
ness discussion." 

Sir  Giles  checked  what  was  evidently  a  strong 
impulse  to  curse. 

"  Go  on  with  your  story,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'm  sorry 
for  having  to  interrupt,  but  do  try  and  keep  politics 
out  of  it.  You  were  just  telling  us  that  you  met 
Langton." 

"  I  met  Langton,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  who  was  also  at 
the  time  stony-broke.  We  got  yarning  together, 
having  nothing  better  to  do.  Naturally  we  talked  a 
good  deal  about  money,  the  thing  both  our  minds 
were  dwelling  on,  because  we  hadn't  got  any.  I  told 


SPANISH  GOLD.  I95 

Langton  the  story  of  my  grandfather's  diary  and  the 
Spanish  treasure  on  Inishgowlan.  It  turned  out  that 
Langton  had  read  somewhere " 

"In  Trinity  College  Library,"  said  Langton,  "before 
I  resigned  my  post  there." 

"  Resigned  ?  "  said  Meldon  with  a  grin. 

"If  politics  are  barred,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  so  are 
offensive  remarks.  I  have  agreed  to  respect  Major 
Kent's  feelings  about  the  Union  Jack,  though  I'm  blest 
if  I  understand  how  they  come  in.  You  must  not  insult 
my  friend  Langton." 

"  I  apologise,"  said  Meldon.  "  We'll  be  non-sectarian 
as  well  as  non-political." 

"  You  tell  this  part,  Langton,"  said  Sir  Giles. 

"  There's  not  much  to  tell.  While  I  was  in  the 
College  Library  I  came  across  an  old  manuscript 
written  in  Spanish.  It  was  a  good  deal  mutilated — in 
fact  there  was  neither  beginning  nor  end  to  it.  It 
appeared  to  be  the  log  of  one  of  the  Armada  captains. 
It  began  with  an  account  of  being  shipwrecked  on  a 
small  island  off  the  west  coast  of  Ireland.  The  island 
wasn't  named,  nor  was  the  situation  described,  but  he 
told  how  he  and  his  crew  left  the  island  in  two 
curraghs.  Their  own  boats  were,  I  suppose,  destroyed. 
Before  they  went " 

"  They  hid  the  treasure,"  said  Meldon. 

"  Precisely.  They  couldn't  take  it  in  the  curraghs. 
They  meant  to  go  back  for  it." 

"Did  he  mention  the  hole  in  Thomas  O'Flaherty's 
field?" 
'    "Yes." 

"  I  see.  I  could  not  understand  how  you  got  at  that. 
This  is  most  interesting.  Go  on." 


196  SPANISH  GOLD 

'*  There  isn't  much  more  to  tell,"  said  Sir  Giles. 
"  We  put  our  stories  together " 

"  Oh,  but  I  want  to  hear  what  happened  to  the 
Spaniard,"  said  Meldon. 

"  It  doesn't  matter  about  him.  The  log  broke  off 
abruptly,  didn't  it,  Langton?  What  we  did  was,  put 
our  stories  together.  We  made  up  our  minds  that  the 
thing  was  good  enough  to  try  for.  The  sale  of  the 
furniture  in  Ballymoy  House  brought  in  some  money. 
I  sent  Langton  over  to  hire  a  small  yacht.  He  knew 
nothing  about  boats,  and  you  stuck  him  badly  with 
your  old  Aureole" 

"  I  don't  like  that,"  said  Meldon.  "  We  agreed  to  be 
non-sectarian  and  you  go  introducing  religion." 

"  I  only  said  you  stuck  him  over  the  boat.  There's 
nothing  religious  about  that  remark." 

"There  is,"  said  Meldon.  "To  stick  a  man  is  a 
form  of  swindling,  and  swindling  is  a  distinct  breach 
of  one  of  the  Ten  Commandments.  There  isn't  a  sect 
of  Christians  in  the  world  which  doesn't  profess  to  have 
more  or  less  respect  for  the  Ten  Commandments,  there- 
fore your  remark  about  sticking  Langton  over  the  boat 
is  in  the  highest  degree  sectarian  and  a  distinct  infringe- 
ment of  the  terms  of  our  agreement." 

"  I've  knocked  about  a  good  deal  in  my  day,"  said 
Sir  Giles,  "  and  I've  met  lots  of  queer  people.  In  fact, 
I  thought  I'd  met  every  kind  of  man  there  is  hi  the 
world.  But  I'm  hanged — ' hanged*  isn't  swearing,  it's 
only  a  form  of  emphasis — I'm  hanged  if  I  ever  met  quite 
as  queer  a  fellow  as  you." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  now  ?  "  said  the  Major. 

It  was  his  first  contribution  to  the  discussion,  and  the 
other  three  men  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 


SPANISH  GOLD  197 

"  Before  going  into  that,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  we'd  like- 
to  hear  what  you  know  about  the  treasure.  You've  had 
our  story.  Let  us  hear  yours." 

"We've  no  story,"  said  Meldon.  "We  had  the 
information  in  Major  Kent's  grandfather's  log,  pretty 
much  the  same  as  what  you  got  from  your  grandfather. 
That's  all." 

Sir  Giles  and  Langton  looked  at  each  other.  Sus- 
picion was  in  both  their  faces. 

"  We  had  nothing  else  to  go  on,"  said  Meldon. 

"  Then  how  did  you  find  the  cave  ?  " 

"  By  inductive  reasoning,"  said  Meldon.  "  By  care- 
ful observation,  and  a  proper  use  of  what  is  called  the 
scientific  imagination." 

"  If  you  won't  be  open  and  above-board  with  us," 
said  Sir  Giles,  "  there's  no  use  our  talking  to  you. 
It's  neither  fair  nor  honourable  of  you  to  keep  a  card 
up  your  sleeve  in  this  way  when  we've  laid  all  ours  on 
the  table." 

"  I've  got  no  card  up  my  sleeve,"  said  Meldon.  "  As 
a  matter  of  fact  I  don't  play  cards,  so  I  wouldn't  be 
likely  to  have  one  about  me — up  my  sleeve  or  anywhere 
else.  I  haven't  played  cards  since  I  left  college,  and  even 
there  I  didn't  cheat." 

"  Do  you  expect  us  to  believe  that  out  of  all  possible 
places  on  this  island  where  that  treasure  might  have 
been  hidden  you  lit  on  that  cave  straight  off  by 
accident?" 

"  I  don't  expect  you  to  believe  anything  of  the  sort. 
What  I  said  was,  that  I  arrived  at  the  cave  by  a 
process  of  reasoning.  You  may  not  be  able  to  reason 
yourself,  but  there's  no  use  denying  that  other  people 
can." 


198  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Strikes  me  as  a  bit  thick,  that.  What  do  you  say, 
Langton  ? " 

"  It's  a  damned  lie,"  said  Langton. 

"  Now,  if  I  said  a  thing  like  that  to  either  of  you," 
said  Meldon,  "  you'd  lose  your  tempers  and  try  to 
break  my  head  with  a  stone.  But  I  happen  to  have  some 
self-control." 

"  I  believe,"  said  the  Major  to  Meldon,  with  a  broad 
grin,  "  that  this  is  the  first  time  you've  spoken  the  truth 
since  we  came  to  this  island,  and  it's  the  only  time  you 
haven't  been  believed." 

"We  may  as  well  go,"  said  Sir  Giles.  "There's 
nothing  to  be  gained  by  staying  here  arguing  with  men 
who  have  no  sense  of  honour  or  decency." 

Langton  gulped  down  the  remains  of  his  whisky  and 
water  and  stood  up.  A  sharp  bump  against  the  yacht's 
side  shook  him  into  his  seat  again. 

"What  the  devil's  that?"  said  Sir  Giles. 

"  It  must  be  Higginbotham,"  said  Major  Kent.  "  He 
always  does  that.  He's  come  on  board  twice  before, 
and  each  time  he  has  rammed  the  yacht  as  if  he  were 
a  torpedo  specially  paid  to  knock  holes  in  the  sides  of 
ships." 

"  I'll  fetch  him  down,"  said  Meldon.  "  Don't  go 
yet,  Sir  Giles.  You'll  like  Higginbotham  when  you 
meet  him,  I'm  sure.  He'll  want  to  talk  to  you  about 
tuberculosis.  He's  frightfully  keen  on  every  kind  of 
consumption,  and  he's  got  it  into  his  head  that  you're 
interested  in  the  subject." 

He  rose  to  go  on  deck.  Before  he  succeeded  in  getting 
clear  of  the  table,  Higginbotham  descended  rapidly, 
legs  first,  into  the  cabin.  He  was  flushed,  eager,  and 
evidently  in  a  condition  of  great  nervous  excitement. 


SPANISH  GOLD 


199 


"  I've  just  got  back,"  he  said.  "  I  came  off  at  once 
—I  haven't  a  minute  to  spare — to  tell  you  that  the 
Granuaile  is  in." 

"  What  is  the  Granuaile  f  "  said  Sir  Giles. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  didn't  see  that  you  were 
here,  Sir  Giles.  I  was  going  over  to  your  yacht  to  tell 
you.  I  thought  you'd  like  to  know.  It  will  be  time 
enough  to  give  my  report  later  on,  won't  it?  I  can't 
stay  now." 

"What's  the  Granuaile  f"  said  Sir  Giles.  "Let's  get 
that  first." 

"  She's  the  C.D.B.  yacht,  and  the " 

"  For  God's  sake,  man,  don't  talk  alphabetical 
riddles.  What's  the  A.B.C.?" 

"C.D.B.,"  said  Meldon  mildly,  "stands  for  Con- 
gested Districts  Board.  Mr.  Higginbotham  is  part  of 
the  C.D.B.  He's  the  Board's  representative  on  Inish- 
gowlan." 

"  The  Chief  Secretary  is  here,"  said  Higginbotham. 
"  I  can't  possibly  stay.  I'm  expecting  him  up  at  my 
place  every  minute.  I  must  be  there  to  meet  him. 
Goodbye.  I  suppose  you'll  come  ashore  soon  and  pay 
your  respects.  Goodbye  for  the  present." 

He  backed  rapidly  up  the  companion  ladder  and 
disappeared.  A  minute  later  there  was  a  sound  of 
scraping  and  another  bump  against  the  yacht's  side. 

"Am  I  to  understand,"  said  Major  Kent,  "that  the 
Chief  Secretary  is  on  the  island?" 

"  Apparently  he  is,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  wasn't  ex- 
pecting him,  but  now  that  he  has  turned  up  we 
must  all  try  to  make  his  stay  as  pleasant  for  him  as 
possible." 

"Who    is    the    Chief    Secretary?"    said    Sir    Giles. 


200  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  What  is  he  Chief  Secretary  of?  Is  it  that  A.B.C.  thing 
which  the  last  lunatic  talked  about  ?  " 

"  You've  lived  abroad,"  said  Meldon,  "  or  else  you'd 
know  that  the  Chief  Secretary  is  the  principal  boss  of 
the  Government  of  this  country.  In  fact,  he  is  the 
Government.  He's  far  and  away  a  bigger  man  than  the 
Lord-Lieutenant,  although  he  doesn't  wear  such  good 
clothes  or  look  so  ornamental.  He  varies,  of  course, 
from  time  to  time  according  to  circumstances,  that  is 
to  say,  according  to  whether  the  English  people  think 
they'd  like  a  Conservative  or  a  Liberal  for  Prime 
Minister.  At  present  he's  a  man  called  Willoughby — 
the  Right  Honourable  Eustace  Willoughby,  M.P.  By 
the  way,  Major,  I  told  you  there  was  sure  to  be  a 
Member  of  Parliament  on  that  steam  yacht.  I  turned 
out  to  be  right,  you  see,  in  spite  of  your  sneers.  I 
don't  happen  to  have  met  this  Chief  Secretary,  but  they 
tell  me  he's  not  a  bad  sort  of  man  in  private  life.  I 
shall  look  forward  to  having  some  quiet  chats  with  him 
while  he's  here." 

"  You  won't  get  them,"  said  the  Major,  in  a  deter- 
mined tone.  "  I'm  off  at  once." 

"  Whatever  he  is,  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  us," 
said  Sir  Giles.  "  We've  got  our  own  business  to  see 
to.  Come  now,  Mr.  Meldon,  before  we  go,  you  may 
as  well  tell  us  the  truth  about  how  you  found  that 
cave." 

"  There's  no  use  my  repeating  what  I've  said  before. 
I've  told  you  all  we  know  about  the  matter.  If  you 
don't  choose  to  believe  me,  don't  believe  me.  I  can't 
help  it." 

Sir  Giles  scowled  at  him. 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Parson,  if  you  are  a  parson,  which 


SPANISH  GOLD  201 

I  doubt.  We've  offered  to  run  this  business  in  partner- 
ship with  you  and  to  go  shares.  It  was  a  fair  offer  and 
you've  refused  it.  You  won't  have  me  for  your  friend. 
You'll  find  me  a  nasty  enemy  to  deal  with.  I  tell  you 
straight  I  mean  to  handle  that  treasure  before  I  leave  the 
island.  Come  along,  Langton." 

Meldon  went  on  deck  with  them,  saw  them  into  their 
punt,  and  waved  a  cheerful  farewell  as  they  rowed  away. 
Sir  Giles,  who  was  rowing  and  faced  the  Spindrift, 
scowled  in  reply,  and,  to  Meldon's  intense  delight,  began 
to  swear. 


CHAPTER  XV 

MAJOR  KENT  came  on  deck.  He  was  agitated 
and  showed  signs  of  being  in  a  hurry.  With- 
out speaking  a  word  to  Meldon  he  went  to  the  end  of 
the  boom  and  began  to  unlace  the  cover  of  the  mainsail. 
Meldon  watched  him  take  it  off,  roll  it  up,  and  stow  it 
in  the  sail  locker. 

"  What  are  you  at  now  ?  "  said  Meldon. 

"  I'm  going  to  get  up  sail  and  go  home  at  once.  I'll 
listen  to  no  more  talk  from  you,  J.  J.  I've  had  too  much 
of  it  already.  My  mind  is  made  up.  I'll  not  stay  in 
this  place  another  hour." 

"Why?" 

"  Why  ?  "  said  the  Major,  who  was  casting  loose  the 
ties  which  bound  the  mainsail  to  the  boom.  "  Do  you 
ask  me  why?  Didn't  you  hear  Higginbotham  saying 
that  the  Chief  Secretary  is  on  the  island.  I'm  not 
going  to  stay  here  to  be  made  look  like  a  fool  over  all 
the  lies  you've  told.  What  could  I  say  to  the  man  if  I 
met  him?" 

"  Do  you  mean  about  the  geological  survey?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  Of  course  I  do.  And  about  Sir 
Giles  being  a  medical  missionary  or  whatever  the 
fool  lie  you  told  about  him  was.  And  about  the 
National  Board  of  Education  building  a  school. 

202 


SPANISH  GOLD  203 

Higginbotham  is  sure  to  tell  him  everything  you've 
said." 

"  You  may  make  your  mind  quite  easy  so  far  as  the 
school  is  concerned.  That  is  no  business  of  the  Chief 
Secretary's.  The  Education  Board  is  the  one  thing 
in  the  country  that  he  has  no  control  over.  That  came 
out  in  Parliament  some  time  ago,  as  you  ought  to 
remember." 

"Well,  what  about  the  geological  survey?  You 
said  I'd  been  sent  here  by  the  Chief  Secretary  and 
the  Lord-Lieutenant.  And  what  about  Sir  Giles  and  the 
tuberculosis  ?  " 

"  Take  one  thing  at  a  time,  Major,  like  a  good 
man,  and  don't  confuse  yourself.  You're  afraid  he'll 
be  angry  because  I  said  he  sent  you  here  to  make 
a  geological  survey  of  the  island.  I  assure  you  he 
won't  even  be  surprised.  You  don't  know  these 
Cabinet  Ministers,  and  of  course  it's  hard  for  you 
to  realise  the  life  they  lead.  Now  just  listen  to  me. 
That  man,  Eustace  Willoughby,  spends  his  time 
mainly  in  receiving  deputations.  Hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  deputations  wait  on  him  every  week. 
There  isn't  a  public  body  in  the  country,  not  so 
much  as  an  Association  of  Licensed  Publicans, 
which  doesn't  send  two  or  three  deputations  to 
each  Chief  Secretary.  I  expect  he's  receiving  one 
this  moment,  headed  by  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat. 
To  every  deputation  he  says  something — something 
nice  and  sympathetic.  He  must,  you  know.  That's 
how  he  earns  his  salary.  Now  I  put  it  to  you  as 
a  sensible  man,  can  he  possibly  recollect  all  the 
things  he's  said  to  all  the  deputations?  He  can't, 
of  course.  You  put  a  bold  face  on  it.  Speak  to 


204  SPANISH  GOLD 

him  civilly  but  without  any  show  of  timidity.  Tell 
him  that  you  went  to  him  as  part  of  a  deputation 
from  the  Irish  Incorporated  Geological  Surveyors 
Institute,  and  that  he  sent  you  to  this  island.  He 
won't  know  in  the  least  what  you're  talking  about, 
but  he'll  be  afraid  to  give  himself  away  by  saying 
he  doesn't  remember.  He'll  believe  what  you  say. 
He  must." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  give  him  the  chance.  I'm  going 
home." 

"Well,  if  you  funk  it,"  said  Meldon,  "though  I 
can't  myself  see  what  there  is  to  be  afraid  of,  I'll 
go  on  shore  and  talk  to  him.  I'll  settle  the  matter  all 
right.  You  can  trust  me  not  to  let  you  in  for  anything 
unpleasant." 

"  I  wouldn't  trust  you  an  inch.  I've  trusted  you  a 
great  deal  too  much  already,  and  look  at  the  fix  I'm  in. 
I'm  going  straight  home." 

"  Think  of  the  treasure." 

"  I  wouldn't  give  you  the  chance  of  talking  to  thei 
Chief  Secretary  for  £500  down.  You'd  make  things 
worse  than  they  are  at  present,  if  that's  possible." 

"  Do  think  of  the  treasure,"  said  Meldon  per- 
suasively. 

"There's  no  treasure,  or  if  there  is,  somebody  else 
has  got  it.  I  tell  you  I  wouldn't  stay  here  to  be 
ballyragged  and  bullied  by  a  Chief  Secretary  for  all  the 
treasure  in  the  world." 

"  I'm  not  putting  the  matter  before  you  in  that 
selfish  way  at  all.  Do  try  to  be  a  little  altruistic, 
Major.  I  am  speaking  about  the  treasure  from  the 
point  of  view  of  public  duty.  Either  Higginbotham 
or  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  probably  the  latter,  has 


SPANISH  GOLD  205 

the  treasure.  But  that  scoundrel  Sir  Giles  means 
to  steal  it.  I  could  see  it  in  his  eye  that  he  meant 
to,  and  so  could  you.  Sir  Giles,  as  you  know,  is  a 
man  who  sticks  at  nothing.  He  wanted  to  murder 
me  to-day  with  a  stone.  We're  the  only  people  on 
the  island  who  are  in  a  position  to  interfere  with  his 
abominable  plans.  If  we  go  away  he'll  do  poor  old 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  out  of  his  hard-earned  gold. 
He'll  rob  Mary  Kate  of  her  inheritance,  of  the  money 
that  would  make  life  brighter  for  her.  I  tell  you, 
Major,  I've  got  to  be  very  fond  of  that  little  girl  and 
I  won't  let  the  thing  be  done.  Or,  if  it's  Higgin- 
botham  that  has  the  money,  Sir  Giles  will  go  at 
night  and  cut  Higginbotham's  throat.  You  wouldn't 
like  to  think  of  poor  Higginbotham  lying  all  gory 
in  a  lonely  grave  in  Inishgowlan,  far  from  his  family 
burying-place  and  the  associations  of  his  innocent 
youth.  It'll  be  your  fault,  remember,  if  he  does, 
because  you  won't  stay  here  to  protect  him.  I  should 
think  that  Higginbotham's  ghost,  a  most  objectionable- 
looking  spectre,  will  haunt  you  to  the  end  of  your  life. 
And  you'll  richly  deserve  it." 

Major  Kent  made  no  answer.  He  loosed  thei 
halyard  from  the  belaying  pin  at  the  foot  of  the 
mast. 

"You're  still  determined,"  said  Meldon,  "after  all 
I've  said,  to  get  up  sail." 

"  Yes ;  I'm  going  home." 

"  You  may  get  up  sail  but  you'll  not  go  home." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  there's  no  wind,  as  you  could  have  seen 
for  yourself  long  ago  if  you  hadn't  been  off  your  head 
with  nervousness.  It  may  amuse  you  to  hoist  thei 


206  SPANISH  GOLD 

sails  and  get  up  anchor,  and  then  drift  about,  up  and 
down  the  bay,  till  night-time.  The  only  result  will 
be  that  you'll  go  foul  of  the  Aureole  or  the  Granuaile. 
If  that's  what  you  want  to  do,  I'll  help  you,  of  course; 
but  I  must  say  it  seems  to  me  a  rotten  way  of  spending 
the  afternoon." 

Major  Kent  sat  down  on  the  deck  and  glared  at 
Meldon. 

"  Why  couldn't  you  have  told  me  that  before,"  he 
said,  "  instead  of  standing  there  and  talking  like  a 
born  fool?" 

"  I  preferred,"  said  Meldon,  "  to  appeal  to  your 
higher  nature  first.  I'd  like  to  have  seen  you  doing 
your  plain  duty  voluntarily.  There's  very  little  credit 
in  staying  here  simply  because  there's  no  wind  to  take 
you  away." 

Major  Kent  smiled  feebly. 

"  I  give  up,"  he  said.  "  Say  what  you  like  to  the 
Chief  Secretary;  make  any  muddle  you  can.  You'll 
most  likely  land  me  in  prison  before  you've  done.  You'll 
certainly  have  every  newspaper  in  the  three  kingdoms 
making  fun  of  us.  I  can't  help  it.  I  can  do  no  more. 
I  don't  even  mean  to  try." 

"  You  needn't ;  I'll  manage  all  right.  All  you  have 
to  do  is  to  keep  cool  and  avoid  fuss  and  excitement. 
Come  on  shore  and  let  us  interview  the  Chief  Secre- 
tary at  once.  I  expect  we'll  find  him  quite  a  reason- 
able man.  After  all,  a  fellow  can't  climb  right  up  to 
the  top  of  the  tree,  become  a  Chief  Secretary,  a  Cabinet 
Minister,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  without  being 
more  or  less  reasonable.  As  long  as  a  man  is  reason- 
able it's  always  quite  easy  to  get  on  with  him.  The 
people  who  kick  up  rows  and  make  themselves  un- 


SPANISH  GOLD 


207 


pleasant  are  the  smaller  kind,  the  men  with  prejudices 
and  ridiculous  conventional  views.  Willoughby  must 
have  knocked  about  a  good  deal  in  his  day.  I  know  he's 
been  ragged  a  lot  by  Suffragettes,  and  that  shakes  a  man 
up.  I  expect  we'll  find  him  quite  amusing." 

A  boat  pulled  by  two  men  with  a  coxswain  in  the 
stern  left  the  pier  and  headed  for  the  Granuaile.  Major 
Kent  saw  her  and  pointed  her  out. 

"  Perhaps  he's  leaving  at  once,"  he  said ;  "  the  yacht 
has  steam  up  still." 

Meldon  got  the  glasses  and  took  a  long  look  at  the 
boat,  following  her  in  her  course  to  the  Granuaile. 

"He's  not  in  that  boat,"  he  said.  "He  wouldn't 
be  pulling  an  oar  himself.  That  wouldn't  be  suitable 
for  a  man  in  his  position,  and  the  fellow  who's 
steering  is  evidently  one  of  the  yacht's  officers.  He 
has  gold  buttons  on  his  coat.  Besides,  they'd  be  sure 
to  fly  a  white  ensign,  or  whistle  '  God  Save  the  King,' 
or  make  some  kind  of  show  if  they  had  a  Chief  Secre- 
tary on  board;  whereas  that's  just  a  plain,  ordinary 
boat." 

He  laid  down  the  glasses  and  looked  at  the  pier. 

"  I  see  a  stranger  standing  there  with  Higginbotham," 
he  said ;  "  a  plump,  little  man  in  light  grey  clothes 
with  a  Panama  hat.  Give  me  the  glasses  again.  He 
has  a  small  brown  moustache  and  a  thick,  short  nose. 
I  can  see  him  distinctly.  It's  certainly  the  Right 
Honourable  Eustace  Willoughby.  I'd  know  him  any- 
where by  his  likeness  to  a  cartoon  there  was  of  him  in 
Punch  a  couple  of  weeks  ago.  I  wonder,  now,  why  the 
boat's  going  off  and  leaving  him  there  ?  " 

He  shifted  his  position  and  looked  at  the  Granuaile 
again. 


208  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  By  Jove !  the  yacht's  getting  up  anchor  and 
hoisting  the  boat  on  the  davits.  She's  off  somewhere 
in  the  dickens  of  a  hurry.  But  why  have  they  left  the 
Chief  Secretary  behind?  What  will  he  do?  He 
can't  surely  mean  to  stop  the  night  in  Higginbotham's 
wigwam.  There's  only  one  bed,  and  I  happen  to 
know  that  it's  full  of  broken  glass.  It  was  just  under- 
neath the  pane  I  smashed  this  morning  when  I  hove 
the  oars  in  through  the  window.  All  the  bits  of  glass1 
went  into  the  bed;  I  saw  them.  This  is  becoming 
serious.  The  Granuaile  is  certainly  off.  He  must 
mean  to  sleep  in  Higginbotham's  bed.  He'll  probably 
lose  his  temper  if  he  does.  No  man  likes  being  cut 
about  the  body  with  broken  glass  just  as  he's  going  off 
to  sleep.  I  wouldn't  like  it  myself,  and  I  expect  it  would 
be  perfect  torture  to  a  plump  man  like  Willoughby. 
What  had  I  better  do?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  Major.  "  I  dare  say  you're 
sorry  now  that  there's  no  wind.  I  think  if  I  were  you 
I'd  go  ashore  and  try  to  slip  round  some  back  way  and 
sweep  out  Higginbotham's  bed  before  night." 

"  I  won't  do  that.  I  hate  sneaking,  underhand  ways 
of  doing  things.  Let  us  be  gentlemen,  Major,  what- 
ever else  we  are.  We'll  go  ashore  with  our  heads  up. 
We've  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of." 

"  You  may  go  by  yourself.  I  won't.  I'll  stay  on 
the  yacht  till  there's  breeze  enough  to  take  her  out  of 
this." 

"  Very  well,  I'll  go  alone.  After  all,  the  man  is  a 
stranger  here,  and  whether  there's  glass  in  his  bed  or 
not  we  ought  to  try  and  cheer  him  up.  Higginbotham 
isn't  very  interesting.  I'm  sure  he's  boring  Willoughby 
already.  I  expect  the  poor  man  is  feeling  a  bit  lonely 


SPANISH  GOLD  209 

too,  seeing  the  Granuaile  go  off.  By  the  way,  I  wonder 
where  she's  going  to?  She  headed  for  the  south  point 
of  the  island,  and  that  looks  rather  as  if  she  meant  to 
fetch  Inishmore.  I  hope  to  goodness  Higginbotham 
hasn't  been  talking  about  Sir  Giles  and  the  tubercu- 
losis. I'd  like  to  have  a  chance  of  making  a  good 
impression  before  I  have  to  begin  explaining  that 
business.  I  wish  Sir  Giles  hadn't  gone  off  in  a 
ridiculous  huff.  If  we'd  been  friends  I  might  have 
got  him  to  stand  over  the  tuberculosis  and  it  would 
have  been  all  right.  The  Chief  Secretary  couldn't 
well  contradict  a  baronet,  whatever  he  might  think 
in  his  own  mind.  It  isn't  my  fault  Sir  Giles  took 
offence  the  way  he  did.  I  was  telling  him  the  literal 
truth.  I  couldn't  start  inventing  a  lot  of  lies  just  to 
please  him." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  couldn't.  You've  invented 
plenty  the  last  few  days." 

"  I'm  going  on  shore  now,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  see 
Willoughby  and  Higginbotham  strolling  up  together 
towards  the  hut.  I  don't  suppose  he's  likely  to  go  to 
bed  at  this  hour  of  the  afternoon,  but  in  case  of  accidents 
I'll  go  at  once." 

"  The  only  thing  you  seem  to  mind  about  is  that 
broken  glass.  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  nearly  so  serious 
as  the  other  things." 

"  It  isn't.  Considered  by  itself,  it  isn't  really  serious 
at  all.  The  thing  is  that  Higginbotham  won't  know 
how  it  got  there.  He  won't  have  any  explanation 
to  offer.  The  Chief  Secretary,  gashed  and  bleeding, 
will  blame  the  wrong  man.  He'll  think  that  Higgin- 
botham has  been  playing  off  some  new  kind  of  apple- 
pie  bed  on  him  and  he'll  be  upset  about  it  That  will 


2io  SPANISH  GOLD 

ruin  Higginbotham's  prospects  in  life.  That's  why 
I'm  anxious  about  the  bed.  I  must  get  off  at 
once." 

"  Go  on,"  said  the  Major  with  a  sigh.  "  The  Lord 
alone  knows  what  you'll  do  when  you  get  ashore. 
Things  can't  be  much  worse,  anyway." 

"  Don't  be  gloomy,"  said  Meldon,  as  he  got  into  the 
punt.  "Just  trust  me  a  little.  I'm  not  at  the  end  of 
my  resources  yet,  by  any  means.  After  all,  what's  a 
Chief  Secretary?  I  suppose  he's  only  flesh  and  blood 
like  the  rest  of  us.  And  besides,  he's  a  migratory  kind 
of  bird.  He's  here  to-day,  and  back  in  his  native 
England  to-morrow." 

Higginbotham,  his  face  white  with  anxiety  and 
distress,  ran  down  the  hill  from  his  hut  and  greeted 
Meldon  as  he  came  alongside  the  pier. 

"  Meldon,"  he  said,  "  I'm  awfully  sorry,  but  you'd 
better  go  back  to  the  yacht  at  once.  Don't  come 
on  shore.  Like  a  good  man,  go  back.  I  can't  tell 
you  how  sorry  I  am  about  it  all.  He's  frightfully 
angry." 

"  Who's  angry  ? "  said  Meldon,  stepping  ashore 
with  the  painter  in  his  hand.  "  Do  try  to  be  in- 
telligible, Higginbotham,  and  don't  speak  till  you've 
got  your  breath.  I  hate  having  things  gasped  out  at 
me.  Who's  angry?" 

"The  Chief  Secretary." 

"  Has  he  gone  to  bed  yet  ?  " 

"No,  he  hasn't.  Why  should  he  go  to  bed?  He's 
up  at  my  place  sitting  on  a  chair.  I  left  him  just 
for  a  moment  when  I  saw  you  coming  ashore.  I 
ran  down  to  warn  you,  in  case  you  thought  of 
coming  up." 


SPANISH  GOLD  211 

"  If  he  hasn't  gone  to  bed,"  said  Meldon,  "  I  don't  see 
that  he's  anything  particular  to  be  angry  about." 

"  It's  about  Major  Kent  and  the  geological  survey 
of  the  island.  He  said  he'd  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  in  his  life.  He  said  a  most  unwarrantable  use 
had  been  made  of  his  name.  I  can't  tell  you  all  he 
said.  He  called  it  intolerable  insolence.  I  give  you 
my  word,  Meldon,  I  wouldn't  have  mentioned  the 
matter  if  I'd  had  the  slightest  idea  that  you  were  only 
pulling  my  leg.  I  really  believed  you.  Why  didn't  you 
tell  me?" 

"  If  I'd  told  you  I  shouldn't  have  pulled  your  leg. 
What  on  earth  would  be  the  use  of  playing  off  a 
spoof  on  a  man  and  at  the  same  time  telling  him  you 
were  doing  it?  I  wish  you'd  be  reasonable,  Higgin- 
botham." 

"  Fortunately  I  didn't  mention  the  National  School 
or  Sir  Giles  Buckley.  When  I  saw  how  things  really 
were,  I  dried  up  at  once.  I'm  more  sorry  than  I  can 
possibly  tell  you.  Somehow  I  never  thought " 

"That'll  do,"  said  Meldon.  "Don't  go  on  apologis- 
ing. I  don't  blame  you  in  the  least.  You  acted  in  a 
perfectly  natural  way." 

Meldon  stooped  and  made  fast  the  painter  of  the 
punt. 

"  You're  not  coming  ashore,  are  you  ?  "  said  Higgin- 
botham.  "Don't  do  it.  Please  don't.  Go  back  to  the 
yacht." 

"  I'm  going  up  to  have  a  chat  with  the  Chief 
Secretary,"  said  Meldon. 

"  But  he  won't  speak  to  you,  I  know  he  won't.  I  tell 
you  he's  simply  savage." 

"It's  for  your  sake  I'm  going.    I  want  to  prevent 


212  SPANISH  GOLD 

your  getting  into  trouble.  I  clon't  want  to  have  your 
prospects  blighted  on  account  of  any  misunderstanding 
with  the  Chief  Secretary." 

"  But  I'm  not  in  any  trouble.  I  assure  you  he  doesn't 
blame  me.  He  said  so  himself.  It's  only  you  he's 
angry  with." 

"If  he's  not  angry  with  you  now,  he  very  soon  will 
be.  As  soon  as  ever  he  gets  into  bed  he'll  be  wanting 
to  tear  you  limb  from  limb,  unless  I  go  up  and  straighten 
things  out." 

"  But  why  ?  What  has  he  to  be  angry  with  me 
about?" 

"You'll  find  that  out  as  soon  as  he  gets  into 
bed." 

Meldon  began  to  walk  towards  the  hut.  Higgin- 
botham's  fears  came  back  on  him  and  rendered  him 
almost  inarticulate.  He  seized  Meldon  by  the  arm 
and  tried  to  hold  him  forcibly.  With  actual  tears  in 
his  eyes  he  entreated  his  friend  to  stop.  He  ejaculated 
unintelligible  sentences  about  "  awful  rows,"  "  legal  pro- 
ceedings," and  "public  disgrace."  He  even  mentioned 
high  treason. 

"  Don't  be  an  ass,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'm  going  up  to 
talk  sense  to  that  Chief  Secretary.  If  everybody  else 
he  comes  across  is  as  much  afraid  of  him  as  you 
are,  it's  quite  time  that  somebody  that  isn't  took  him 
in  hand.  Pull  yourself  together,  Higginbotham,  and 
come  up  with  me.  I  want  you  to  introduce  me.  It's 
awkward  walking  in  on  a  man  you've  never  met  without 
an  introduction." 

Higginbotham  shook  his  head.  After  a  last  appeal 
he  sat  down  helplessly  on  the  grass.  Meldon  walked  on 
towards  the  hut. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  I  AHE  Chief  Secretary  lay  back  in  Higginbotham's 
hammock-chair.  There  was  a  frown  on  his 
face.  His  sense  of  personal  dignity  was  outraged 
by  the  story  he  had  just  heard.  He  had  not  been 
very  long  Chief  Secretary  of  Ireland  and,  though 
not  without  a  sense  of  humour,  he  took  himself 
and  his  office  very  seriously.  He  came  to  Ireland 
intending  to  do  justice  and  show  mercy.  He  looked 
forward  to  a  career  of  real  usefulness.  He  was 
prepared  to  be  opposed,  maligned,  misunderstood, 
declared  capable  of  every  kind  of  iniquity.  He  did 
not  expect  to  be  treated  as  a  fool.  He  did  not  expect 
that  an  official  in  the  pay  of  one  of  the  Government 
Boards  would  assume  as  a  matter  of  course  that  he 
was  a  fool  and  believe  any  story  about  him,  however 
intrinsically  absurd.  He  failed  to  imagine  any  motive 
for  the  telling  of  such  a  story.  There  must,  he  assumed, 
have  been  a  motive,  but  what  it  was  he  could  not  even 
guess. 

Meldon  entered  the  hut  without  knocking  at  the 
door. 

"  Mr.  Willoughby,  I  believe,"  he  said  cheerily. 
"You  must  allow  me  to  introduce  myself  since 

213 


214  SPANISH  GOLD 

Higginbotham  isn't  here  to  do  it  for  me.  My  name  is 
Meldon—the  Rev.  J.  J.  Meldon,  B.A.,  of  T.C.D." 

The  Chief  Secretary  intended  to  rise  with  dignity  and 
walk  out  of  the  hut.  He  failed  because  no  one  can 
rise  otherwise  than  awkwardly  out  of  the  depths  of  a 
hammock-chair. 

"  Don't  stir,"  said  Meldon,  watching  his  struggles. 
"  Please  don't  stir.  I  shouldn't  dream  of  taking  your 
chair.  I'll  sit  on  a  corner  of  the  table.  I'll  be  quite 
comfortable,  I  assure  you.  How  do  you  like  Inish- 
gowlan,  now  you  are  here?  It's  a  nice  little  island, 
isn't  it?" 

Mr.  Willoughby  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  chair. 
He  walked  across  the  hut,  turned  his  back  on  Meldon, 
and  stared  out  of  the  window. 

"  I  came  up  here  to  have  a  chat  with  you,"  said 
Meldon.  "  Perhaps  you  wouldn't  mind  turning  round. 
I  always  find  it  more  convenient  to  talk  to  a  man  who 
isn't  looking  the  other  way.  I  don't  make  a  point  of 
it,  of  course.  If  you've  got  into  the  habit  of  keeping 
your  back  turned  to  people,  I  don't  want  you  to  alter  it 
on  my  account." 

Mr.  Willoughby  turned  round.  He  seemed  to  be 
on  the  point  of  making  an  angry  remark.  Meldon 
faced  him  with  a  bland  smile.  The  look  of  irrita- 
tion faded  in  Mr.  Willoughby's  face.  He  appeared 
puzzled. 

"  It's  about  Higginbotham's  bed,"  said  Meldon,  "  that 
I  want  to  speak.  It's  an  excellent  bed,  I  believe,  though 
I  never  slept  in  it  myself.  But " 

"  If  there's  anything  the  matter  with  the  bed,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby  severely,  "  Mr.  Higginbotham  should 
himself  represent  the  facts  to  the  proper  authorities." 


SPANISH  GOLD  215 

"  You  quite  misunderstand  me.  And  in  any  case 
Higginbotham  can't  move  in  the  matter  because  he 
doesn't,  at  present,  know  that  there's  anything  wrong 
about  the  bed.  By  the  time  he  finds  it  out  it  will  be  too 
late  to  do  anything.  I  simply  want  to  give  you  a 
word  of  advice.  Don't  sleep  in  Higginbotham's  bed 
to-night." 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  intention  of  sleeping  in  it." 

"  That's  all  right.  I'm  glad  you  haven't.  The  fact 
is " — Meldon's  voice  sank  almost  to  a  whisper — 
"  there  happens  to  be  a  quantity  of  broken  glass  in 
that  bed.  I  need  scarcely  tell  a  man  with  your  experi- 
ence of  life  that  broken  glass  in  a  bed  isn't  a  thing  which 
suits  everybody.  It's  all  right,  of  course,  if  you're  used 
to  it,  but  I  don't  suppose  you  are." 

Mr.  Willoughby  turned,  this  time  towards  the  door. 
There  was  something  in  the  ingenuous  friendliness  of 
Meldon's  face  which  tempted  him  to  smile.  He 
caught  sight  of  Higginbotham  standing  white  and 
miserable  on  the  threshold.  He  made  a  snatch  at  the 
dignity  which  had  nearly  escaped  him  and  frowned 
severely. 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Higginbotham,"  he  said,  "  that  I  should 
like  to  take  a  stroll  round  the  island." 

"  Come  along,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'll  show  you  the 
sights.  You  don't  mind  climbing  walls,  I  hope. 
You'll  find  the  place  most  interesting.  Do  you  care 
about  babies?  There's  a  nice  little  beggar  called 
Michael  Pat.  Any  one  with  a  taste  for  babies  would 
take  to  him  at  once.  And  there's  a  little  girl  called 
Mary  Kate,  a  great  friend  of  Higginbotham's.  She's 
the  granddaughter  of  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat. 
By  the  way,  how  are  you  going  to  manage  about 


216  SPANISH  GOLD 

Thomas  O'Flaherty's  bit  of  land?  There's  been  a  lot  of 
trouble  over  that  ?  " 

Mr.  Willoughby  sat  down  again  in  the  hammock-chair 
and  stared  at  Meldon. 

"  Of  course  it's  your  affair,  not  mine,"  said  Meldon. 
"  Still,  if  I  can  be  of  any  help  to  you,  you've  only  got 
to  say  so.  I  know  old  O'Flaherty  pretty  well,  and  I  may 
say  without  boasting  that  I  have  as  much  influence  with 
him  as  any  man  on  the  island." 

"  If  I  want  your  assistance  I  shall  ask  for  it,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby  coldly. 

"That's  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'll  do  anything  I 
can.  The  great  difficulty,  of  course,  is  the  language. 
You  don't  talk  Irish  yourself,  I  suppose.  Higgin- 
botham  tells  me  he's  learning.  It's  a  very  difficult 
language,  highly  inflected.  I'm  not  very  good  at  it 
myself.  I  can't  carry  on  a  regular  business  conversa- 
tion in  it.  By  the  way,  what  is  your  opinion  of  the 
Gaelic  League  ?  " 

A  silence  followed.  Mr.  Willoughby  gave  no  opinion 
of  the  Gaelic  League.  Meldon  sat  down  again  on  the 
corner  of  the  table  and  began  to  swing  his  legs.  Higgin- 
botham  still  stood  in  the  doorway.  Mr.  Willoughby, 
with  a  bewildered  look  on  his  face,  lay  back  in  the 
hammock-chair. 

"  I  see,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  you've  sent  your  yacht 
away.  That  was  what  made  me  think  you  were  going 
to  sleep  in  Higginbotham's  bed.  I  suppose  she'll  be  back 
before  night." 

"  Really "  began  Mr.  Willoughby. 

Meldon  replied  at  once  to  the  tone  in  which  the  word 
was  spoken. 

"  I   don't   want   to   be   asking  questions.    If   there's 


SPANISH  GOLD  217 

any  secret  about  the  matter  you're  quite  right  to  keep 
it  to  yourself.  I  quite  understand  that  you  Cabinet 
Ministers  can't  always  say  out  everything  that's  in 
your  mind.  I  only  mentioned  the  steamer  because 
the  conversation  seemed  to  be  languishing.  You 
wouldn't  talk  about  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat's  field, 
and  you  wouldn't  talk  about  the  Gaelic  League, 
though  I  thought  that  would  be  sure  to  interest  you. 
Now  you  won't  talk  about  the  steamer.  However,  it's 
quite  easy  to  get  on  some  other  subject.  Do  you  think 
the  weather  will  hold  up?  The  glass  has  been  dropping 
the  last  two  days." 

Mr.  Willoughby  struggled  out  of  the  hammock-chair 
again.  He  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height  and 
squared  his  shoulders.  His  face  assumed  an  expres- 
sion of  rigid  determination.  He  addressed  Higgin- 
botham. 

"  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  go  up  to  the  old  man  you 
spoke  of " 

"Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,"  said  Meldon.  "That's 
the  man  he  means — you  know,  Higginbotham." 

"  And  tell  him "  went  on  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  If  you're  to  tell  him  anything,"  said  Meldon, 
"  don't  forget  to  take  some  one  with  you  who  under- 
stands Irish." 

"And  tell  him,"  repeated  Mr.  Willoughby,  "that  I 
shall  expect  him  here  in  about  an  hour  to  meet  Father 
Mulcrone." 

"  I  see,"  said  Meldon.  "  So  that's  where  the  yacht's 
gone.  You've  sent  for  the  priest  to  talk  sense  to  the 
old  boy.  Well,  I  dare  say  you're  right,  though  I  think 
we  could  have  managed  with  the  help  of  Mary  Kate. 
She  knows  both  languages  well,  and  she'd  do  anything 


SPANISH  GOLD 

for  me,  though  she  has  rather  a  down  on  Higgin- 
botham.  It's  a  pity  you  didn't  consult  me  before  send- 
ing the  steamer  off  all  the  way  to  Inishmore.  However, 
it  can't  be  helped  now." 

Higginbotham  departed  on  his  errand  and  shut  the 
door  of  the  hut  after  him.  The  Chief  Secretary  turned 
to  Meldon. 

"  You've  chosen,"  he  said,  "  to  force  your  company 
on  me  this  afternoon  in  a  most  unwarrantable 
manner." 

"  I'll  go  at  once  if  you  like,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  only 
came  up  here  for  your  own  good,  to  warn  you  about 
the  state  of  Higginbotham's  bed.  You  ought  to  be 
more  grateful  to  me  than  you  are.  It  isn't  every  man 
who'd  have  taken  the  trouble  to  come  all  this  way  to 
save  a  total  stranger  from  getting  his  legs  cut  with 
broken  glass.  However,  if  you  hunt  me  away,  of 
course  I'll  go.  Only  I  think  you'll  be  sorry  afterwards 
if  I  do.  I  may  say  without  vanity  that  I'm  far  and 
away  the  most  amusing  person  on  this  island  at 
present." 

"  As  you  are  here,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  I  take  the 
opportunity  of  asking  you  what  you  mean  by  telling 
that  outrageous  story  to  Mr.  Higginbotham.  I'm  not 
accustomed  to  having  my  name  used  in  that  way  and, 
to  speak  plainly,  I  regard  it  as  insolence." 

"  You  are  probably  referring  to  the  geological  survey 
of  this  island." 

"  Yes.  To  your  assertion  that  I  employed  a  man 
called  Kent  to  survey  this  island.  That  is  precisely 
what  I  do  refer  to." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  have  said  so  plainly  at  first,  and 
not  have  left  me  to  guess  at  what  you  were  talking 


SPANISH  GOLD  219 

about.  Many  men  couldn't  have  guessed,  and  then 
we  should  have  been  rambling  about  at  cross  purposes 
for  the  next  hour  or  so  without  getting  any  further. 
Always  try  and  say  plainly  what  you  mean,  Mr. 
Willoughby.  I  know  it's  difficult,  but  I  think  you'll  find 
it  pays  in  the  end.  Now  that  I  know  what's  in  your 
mind,  I'll  be  very  glad  to  thrash  it  out  with  you.  You 
know  Higginbotham,  of  course." 

"  Yes." 

"Intimately?" 

"  I  met  him  this  afternoon  for  the  first  time." 

"  Then  you  can't  be  said  really  to  know  Higgin- 
botham. That's  a  pity,  because  without  a  close  and 
intimate  knowledge  of  Higginbotham  you're  not  in  a 
position  to  understand  that  geological  survey  story. 
Take  my  advice  and  drop  the  whole  subject  until  you 
know  Higginbotham  better.  After  spending  a  few 
days  on  the  island  in  constant  intercourse  with 
Higginbotham  you'll  be  able  to  understand  the  whole 
thing.  Then  you'll  appreciate  it.  In  the  meanwhile 
I'm  sure  you  won't  mind  my  adding,  since  we  are 
on  the  subject — and  it  was  you  who  introduced  it — • 
that  you  ought  not  to  go  leaping  to  conclusions 
without  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  facts.  I  said  the 
same  thing  this  morning  to  Major  Kent  when  he 
insisted  that  you  had  come  here  to  search  for  buried 
treasure." 

Mr.  Willoughby  pulled  himself  together  with  an 
effort.  He  felt  a  sense  of  bewilderment  and  hopeless 
confusion.  The  sensation  was  familiar.  He  had  ex- 
perienced it  before  in  the  House  of  Commons  when 
Irish  Members  of  both  parties  asked  questions  on  the 
same  subject.  He  knew  that  his  only  chance  was,  to 


'220  SPANISH  GOLD 

ignore  side-issues,  however  fascinating,  and  get  back  at 
once  to  the  original  point. 

"  I'm  willing,"  he  said,  "  to  listen  to  any  explanation 
you  have  to  offer;  but  I  do  not  see  how  Mr. 
Higginbotham's  character  alters,  or  can  alter,  the  fact 
that  you  told  him  what  I  can  only  describe  as  an 
outrageous  lie." 

"  The  worst  thing  about  you  Englishmen  is  that 
you  have  such  blunt  minds.  You  don't  appreciate  the! 
lights  and  shades,  the  finer  nuances,  what  I  may 
perhaps  describe  as  the  chiaroscuro  of  things.  It's 
just  the  same  with  my  friend  Major  Kent.  By  the 
way,  I  ought  to  apologise  for  him.  He  ought  to  have; 
come  ashore  and  called  upon  you  this  afternoon.  It 
isn't  the  want  of  loyalty  which  prevented  him.  He's  a 
strong  Unionist,  and  on  principle  he  respects  his 
Majesty's  Ministers  whatever  party  they  belong  to. 
The  fact  is  he  was  a  bit  nervous  about  this  geological 
survey  business.  He  didn't  know  exactly  how  you'd 
take  it.  I  told  him  that  you  were  a  reasonable  man 
and  that  you'd  see  the  thing  in  a  proper  light,  but  he 
wouldn't  come." 

"  Will  you  kindly  tell  me  what  is  the  proper  light 
in  which  to  view,  this  extraordinary  performance  of 
yours  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  It  will  be  a  little  difficult,  of  course, 
when  you  don't  know  Higginbotham,  but  I'll  try." 

"  Leave  Mr.  Higginbotham  out,"  said  the  Chief 
Secretary  irritably.  "  Tell  me  simply  this,  were  you 
justified  in  making  a  statement  which  you  knew  to  be1 
a  baseless  invention?  How  do  you  explain  the  fact 
that  you  told  a  deliberate — that  you  didn't  speak  the 
truth?" 


SPANISH  GOLD  221 

"I've  always  heard  of  you  as  an  educated  and 
cultured  man.  I  may  assume  therefore  that  you  know 
all  about  pragmatism." 

"  I  don't." 

"Well,  you  ought  to.  It's  a  most  interesting  system 
of  philosophy  quite  worth  your  while  to  study.  I'm 
sure  you'd  like  it  if  you  understood  it.  In  fact,  I  ex- 
pect you're  a  pragmatist  already  without  knowing  it. 
Most  of  us  practical  men  are." 

"  I'm  waiting  for  an  explanation  of  the  story  you  told 
Mr.  Higginbotham." 

"  Quite  right.  I'm  coming  to  that  in  a  minute. 
Don't  be  impatient.  If  you'd  been  familiar  with  the 
pragmatist  philosophy  it  would  have  saved  time.  As 
you're  not — though  as  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland  I 
think  you  ought  to  be — I'll  have  to  explain.  Prag- 
matism may  be  described  as  the  secularising  of  the 
Ritschlian  system  of  theological  thought.  You  under- 
stand the  Ritschlian  theory  of  value  judgments,  of 
course  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't."  Mr.  Willoughby  began  to  feel  very 
helpless.  It  seemed  easier  to  let  the  tide  of  this 
strange  lecture  sweep  over  him  than  to  make  any 
effort  to  assert  himself. 

"Do  you  mind  if  I  smoke?"  he  said.  "I  think  I 
could  listen  to  your  explanation  better  if  I  smoked." 

He  took  from  his  pocket  a  silver  cigar-case. 

"  Smoke  away,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  don't  mind  in  the 
least.  In  fact  I'll  take  a  cigar  from  you  and  smoke  too. 
I  can't  afford  cigars  myself,  but  I  enjoy  them  when 
they're  good.  I  suppose  a  Chief  Secretary  is  pretty 
well  bound  to  keep  decent  cigars  on  account  of  his 
position." 


222  SPANISH  GOLD; 

Mr.  Willoughby  handed  over  the  case.  Meldon 
selected  a  cigar  and  lit  it.  Then  he  went  on — 

"  The  central  position  of  the  pragmatist  philosophy 
and  the  Ritschlian  theology  is  that  truth  and  usefulness 
are  identical." 

"Eh?" 

"  What  that  means  is  this.  A  thing  is  true  if  it  turns 
out  in  actual  practice  to  be  useful  and  false  if  it  turns 
out  in  actual  practice  to  be  useless.  I  dare  say  that 
sounds  startling  to  you  at  first,  but  if  you  think  it  over 
quietly  for  a  while  you'll  get  to  see  that  there's  a  good 
deal  in  it." 

Meldon  puffed  at  his  cigar  without  speaking.  He 
wished  to  give  Mr.  Willoughby  an  opportunity  for 
meditation.  Then  he  went  on — 

"  The  usual  illustration — the  one  you'll  find  in  all  the 
text-books — is  the  old  puzzle  of  the  monkey  on  the 
tree.  A  man  sees  a  monkey  clinging  to  the  far  side  of 
the  trunk  of  the  tree. — I  never  could  make  out  how  he 
did  see  it,  but  that  doesn't  matter  for  the  purposes  of 
the  illustration. — He,  the  man,  determines  to  go  round 
the  tree  and  get  a  better  look  at  the  monkey.  But  the 
monkey  creeps  round  the  tree  so  as  always  to  keep  the 
trunk  between  him  and  the  man.  The  question  is 
whether,  when  he's  gone  round  the  tree,  the  man  has 
or  has  not  gone  round  the  monkey.  The  older  philoso- 
phies simply  gave  that  problem  up.  They  couldn't  solve 
it,  but  the  pragmatist " 

"  Either  you  or  I,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  feebly, 
"  must  be  going  mad." 

"  Your  cigar  has  gone  out,"  said  Meldon.  "  Don't 
light  it  again.  There's  nothing  tastes  worse  than  a 
relighted  cigar.  Take  a  fresh  one.  There  are  still 


SPANISH  GOLD  223 

two  in  the  case,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  along 
with  one  more." 

"  Would  you  mind  leaving  out  the  monkey  on 
the  tree  and  getting  back  to  the  geological  survey 
story?" 

"  Not  a  bit.  If  it  bores  you  to  hear  an  explanation 
of  the  pragmatist  theory  of  truth  I  won't  go  on  with  it. 
It  was  only  for  your  sake  I  went  into  it.  You  can  just 
take  it  from  me  that  the  test  of  truth  is  usefulness. 
That's  the  general  theory.  Now  apply  it  to  this 
particular  case.  The  story  I  told  Higginbotham 
turned  out  to  be  extremely  useful — quite  as  useful  as 
I  had  any  reason  to  expect.  In  fact,  I  don't  see  that 
we  could  very  well  have  got  on  without  it.  I  can't 
explain  to  you  just  how  it  was  useful.  If  I  did,  I 
should  be  giving  away  Major  Kent,  Sir  Giles  Buckley, 
Euseby  Langton,  and  perhaps  Old  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat;  but  you  may  take  it  that  the  utility  of  the  story 
has  been  demonstrated." 

Mr.  Willoughby  made  an  effort  to  rally.  He 
reminded  himself  that  he  was  a  Cabinet  Minister  and 
a  great  man,  that  he  had  withstood  the  fieriest  elo- 
quence of  Members  for  Munster  constituencies  and 
survived  the  most  searching  catechisms  of  the  men  from 
Antrim  and  Down.  He  called  to  mind  the  fact  that 
he  had  resolutely  said  "  No  "  to  at  least  twenty-five  per 
cent,  of  the  people  who  came  to  him  in  Dublin  Castle 
seeking  to  have  jobs  perpetrated.  He  tried  to  realise 
the  impossibility  of  a  mere  country  curate  talking  him 
down.  He  hardened  his  heart  with  the  recollection 
that  he  was  in  the  right  and  the  curate  utterly  in  the 
wrong.  He  sat  up  as  well  as  he  could  in  the  hammock- 
chair  and  said  sternly — 


224  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  regard  any  lie  aS 
justifiable  if  it  serves  its  purpose?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Meldon ;  "  you  are  missing  the! 
whole  point.  I  was  afraid  you  would  when  you  pre- 
vented me  from  explaining  the  theory  of  truth  to  you, 
I  never  justify  lies  under  any  circumstances  whatever. 
The  thing  I'm  trying  to  help  you  to  grasp  is  this:  A 
statement  isn't  a  lie  if  it  proves  itself  in  actual  practice 
to  be  useful — it's  true.  There  now,  you've  let  that 
second  cigar  go  out.  You'd  better  light  that  one  again. 
I  hate  to  see  a  man  wasting  cigar  after  cigar,  especially 
when  they're  good  ones." 

Mr.  Willoughby  fumbled  with  the  matches  and  made 
more  than  one  attempt  to  relight  the  cigar. 

"  The  reason,"  Meldon  went  on,  "  why  I  think  you're: 
almost  certain  to  be  a  pragmatist  is  that  you're  a 
politician.  You're  constantly  having  to  make  speeches, 
of  course;  and  in  every  speech  you  must  more  or  less 
say  something  about  Ireland.  When  you  are  Chief 
Secretary  the  other  fellow,  the  man  in  opposition  who 
wants  to  be  Chief  Secretary  but  isn't,  gets  up  and  says 
you  are  telling  a  pack  of  lies.  That's  not  the  way 
he  expresses  himself,  but  it's  exactly  what  he  means. 
When  his  turn  comes  to  be  Chief  Secretary  and  you 
are  in  opposition,  you  very  naturally  say  that  he's 
telling  lies.  Now  that's  a  very  crude  way  of  talking. 
You  are,  both  of  you,  as  patriotic  and  loyal  men, 
doing  your  best  to  say  what  is  really  useful.  If  the 
things  you  say  turn  out  in  the  end  to  be  useful,  why 
then,  if  you  happen  to  be  pragmatists,  they  aren't 
lies." 

Mr.  Willoughby  stuck  doggedly  to  his  point  Just 
so  his  countrymen,  though  beaten  by  all  the  rules  of 


SPANISH  GOLD  225 

war,  have  from  time  to  time  clung  to  positions  which 
they  ought  to  have  evacuated. 

"  A  lie,"  he  said,  "  is  a  lie.  I  don't  see  that  you've 
made  your  case  at  all." 

"I  know  I  haven't,  but  that's  because  you  would 
insist  on  stopping  me.  If  you'll  allow  me  to  go  back 
to  the  man  who  went  round  the  tree  with  the  monkey 
on  it " 

"  Don't  do  that.    I  can't  bear  it." 

"  Very  well.  I  won't  I  suppose  we  may  consider 
the  whole  matter  closed  now  and  go  on  to  talk  of 
something  else." 

"No.  It's  not  closed,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  with  a 
fine  show  of  spirited  indignation.  "  I  still  want  to 
know  why  you  told  Mr.  Higginbotham  that  I  sent 
Major  Kent  to  make  a  geological  survey  of  this  island. 
It's  all  very  well  to  talk  as  you've  been  doing,  but 
a  man  is  bound  to  tell  the  truth  and  not  to  deceive  inno- 
cent people." 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Willoughby,"  said  Meldon,  "I've 
sat  and  listened  to  you  calling  me  a  liar  half  a  dozen 
times,  and  I  haven't  turned  a  hair.  I'm  a  man  of 
remarkable  self-control  and  I  appreciate  your  point 
of  view.  You  are  irritated  because  you  think  that 
you  are  not  being  treated  with  proper  respect.  You 
assert  what  you  are  pleased  to  call  your  dignity  by 
trying  to  prove  that  I'm  a  liar.  I've  stood  it  from 
you  so  far,  but  I'm  not  bound  to  stand  it  any  longer 
and  I  won't.  It  doesn't  suit  you  one  bit  to  take 
up  that  high  and  mighty  moral  tone,  and  I  may  tell 
you  that  it  doesn't  impress  me.  I'm  not  the  British 
public,  and  that  bluff  honesty  pose  isn't  one  I  admire. 
All  those  platitudes  about  lies  being  lies  simply  run 


226  SPANISH  GOLH 

off  my  skin.  I  know  that  your  own  game  of 
politics  couldn't  be  played  for  a  single  hour  with- 
out what  you  choose  to  describe  as  deceiving 
innocent  people.  Mind  you,  I'm  not  blaming  you  in 
the  least.  I  quite  give  in  that  you  can't  always  be 
blabbing  out  the  exact  literal  truth  about  everything. 
Things  couldn't  go  on  if  you  did.  All  I  say  is, 
that  being  in  the  line  of  life  you  are,  you  ought 
not  to  set  yourself  up  as  a  model  of  every  kind  of 
integrity  and  come  out  here  to  an  island  which,  so 
far  as  I  know,  nobody  ever  invited  you  to  visit,  and 
talk  ideal  morality  to  me  in  the  way  you've  been  doing. 
Hullo!  Here's  Higginbotham  back  again.  I  wonder  if 
he's  brought  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  with  him.  You'll 
be  interested  in  seeing  that  old  man,  even  if  you  can't 
speak  to  him." 

Higginbotham  started  as  he  entered  the  hut.  He 
did  not  expect  to  find  Meldon  there.  He  was  sur- 
prised to  see  Mr.  Willoughby  crumpled-up,  crushed, 
and  cowed  in  the  depths  of  the  hammock-chair, 
while  Meldon,  cheerful  and  triumphant,  sat  on  the 
edge  of  the  table  swinging  his  legs  and  smoking  a 
cigar. 

"  You'd  better  get  that  oil  stove  of  yours  lit,  Higgin- 
botham," said  Meldon.  "  The  Chief  Secretary  is  dying 
for  a  cup  of  tea.  You'd  like  some  tea,  wouldn't  you, 
Mr.  Willoughby?" 

"  I  would.  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  tea.  You  won't  say 
that  I'm  posing  for  the  benefit  of  the  British  public  if 
I  drink  tea,  will  you  ?  " 

It  was  Meldon  who  lit  the  stove  and  busied  himself 
with  the  cups  and  saucers.  Higginbotham  was  too  much 
astonished  to  assist. 


SPANISH  GOLD  22? 

"  There's  no  water  in  your  kettle,"  said  Meldori. 
"  I'd  better  run  across  to  the  well  and  get  some. 
Or  I'll  go  to  Michael  Pat's  mother  and  get  some  hot. 
That  will  save  time.  When  I'm  there  I'll  collar  a  loaf 
of  soda-bread  and  some  butter  if  I  can.  I  happen 
to  know  that  she  has  fresh  butter  because  I  helped  to 
make  it" 

Mr.  Willoughby  rallied  a  little  when  the  door  closed 
behind  Meldon. 

"  Your  friend,"  he  said  to  Higginbotham,  "  seems  to 
me  to  be  a  most  remarkable  man." 

"  He  is.  In  college  we  always  believed  that  if  only 
he'd  given  his  mind  to  it  and  taken  some  interest  in  his. 
work,  he  could  have  done  anything." 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  doubt  of  it.  He  has  given 
me  a  talking  to  this  afternoon  such  as  I  haven't  had 
since  I  left  school — not  since  I  left  the  nursery.  Did 
you  ever  read  a  book  on  pragmatism  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  You  don't  happen  to  know  the  name  of  the  best 
book  on  the  subject?" 

"  No,  but  I'm  sure  that  Meldon " 

"  Don't,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  I'd  rather  not  start 
him  on  the  subject  again.  Have  you  any  cigars?  I 
want  one  badly.  I  got  no  good  of  the  two  I  half-smoked 
while  he  was  here." 

"  I'm  afraid  not.  But  your  own  cigar-case  has  one 
in  it.  It's  on  the  table." 

"  I  can't  smoke  that  one.  To  put  it  plainly,  I  daren't. 
Your  friend  Meldon  said  he  might  want  it.  I'd  be 
afraid  to  face  him  if  it  was  gone." 

"  But  it's  your  own  cigar !  Why  should  Mel- 
don  " 


228  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  It's  not  my  cigar.  Nothing  in  the  world  is  mine  any 
more,  not  even  my  mind  or  my  morality  or  my  self- 
respect  is  my  own.  Mr.  Meldon  has  taken  them  from 
me  and  torn  them  in  pieces  before  my  eyes.  He  has  left 
me  a  nervous  wreck  of  the  man  I  once  was.  Did  you 
say  he  was  a  parson  ?  " 

"  Yes.    He's  curate  of  Ballymoy." 

"  Thank  God  I  don't  live  in  that  parish !  I  should 
be  hypnotised  into  going  to  church  every  time  he 

preached,  and  then Hush !  Can  he  be  coming  back 

already?  I  believe  he  is.  No  other  man  would  whistle 
so  loud  as  that.  If  he  begins  to  ill-treat  me  again,  Mr. 
Higginbotham,  I  hope  you'll  try  and  drag  him  off.  I 
can't  stand  much  more." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MELDON  flung  open  the  door  of  the  hut  and 
entered.    He   at  once  took  possession  of  the 
remaining  cigar  and  lit  it. 

"  I  met  Mary  Kate,"  he  said,  "  and  I  sent  her  on  with 
the  kettle.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Willoughby,  have  you  such 
a  thing  as  half  a  crown  about  you  ?  " 

The  Chief  Secretary  plunged  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  and  brought  out  a  number  of  coins,  gold 
and  silver. 

"Take  it  all,"  he  said;  "I  don't  feel  as^if  I  should 
ever  want  money  any  more." 

"Thanks,"  said  Meldon.  "I'll  take  half  a  crown. 
It's  for  Mary  Kate.  As  a  rule  I  only  give  her  sixpence 
at  a  time,  but  she'll  naturally  expect  more  when  she's 
fetching  water  for  a  Chief  Secretary's  tea.  Higgin- 
botham  generally  gives  her  sugar-candy." 

Meldon's  grin  and  the  look  of  embarrassment  on 
Higginbotham's  face  hinted  to  Mr.  Willoughby  of  a 
joke  behind. 

"  I  wish,"  he  said,  "  you'd  tell  me  about  Mary  Kate 
and  the  sugar-candy." 

"  Oh,  that  story's  hardly  worth  telling,"  said  Meldon. 
"  It  was  only  that  she  nearly  had  the  face  ate  off 
Higginbotham  one  afternoon." 

229 


2>30  SPANISH 

"  She  ate  his  face !     But  surely " 

"  He  wasn't  trying  to  kiss  her,  if  that's  what  you're 
thinking  of.  Higginbotham's  not  that  kind  of  man 
at  all.  Besides,  she's  quite  a  little  girl,  though  remark- 
ably intelligent.  No.  There  was  some  slight  mis- 
understanding about  some  sugar-candy  between  her 
and  Higginbotham.  Both  of  them  came  to  me  and 
complained.  I  did  what  I  could  to  set  the  matter 
right.  You've  not  been  troubled  about  it  lately,  have 
you,  Higginbotham  ?  " 

"  No;  it's  all  right  now." 

"Is  that  all  I'm  to  be  told?"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  There's  really  nothing  more  to  tell,  and  besides 
I  want,  while  I  think  of  it,  to  warn  Higginbotham 
about  the  condition  of  his  bed.  I  happened  to  spill 
some  broken  glass  and  a  few  oars  on  to  your  bed 
this  morning,  Higginbotham.  It  doesn't  really  matter 
about  the  oars.  You'd  be  sure  to  notice  them  as 
you  got  in,  but  you  might  not  see  the  glass.  What 
I  advise  you  to  do  is  to  take  the  blankets  and 
things  outside  the  door  and  shake  them  well  before 
you  go  to  bed." 

"  I  don't  suppose  it  would  be  any  use  my  asking," 
said  Mr.  Willoughby ;  "  but  I  should  greatly  like  to 
know  how  you  came  to  strew  Mr.  Higginbotham's  bed 
with  oars  and  broken  glass." 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  interest  you  much,"  said 
Meldon. 

"  I  assure  you  it  would.  I  can't  even  imagine  cir- 
cumstances under  which  it  would  be  any  temptation 
to  me  to  put  oars — of  all  things  in  the  world — and 
broken  bottles  into  another  man's  bed." 

"  It  wasn't  broken  bottles.     It  was  a  broken  window- 


SPANISH  GOLD  231 

pane.  The  circumstances  were  these:  This  morning 
I  wanted  to  conceal  some  oars " 

"From?" 

"  From  their  owners,  and " 

"  Oh,  from  their  owners.  I  see.  Stupid  of  me  not 
to  have  guessed.  Please  go  on." 

"  From  their  owners,  who  would,  or  at  all  events 
might,  have  made  a  very  bad  use  of  the  oars  if  they 
had  been  able  to  get  at  them.  Very  well.  I  naturally 
thought  at  once  of  Higginbotham's  bed." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  say  '  naturally.'  It  doesn't 
seem  to  me  at  all  a  natural  place  to  think  of.  I'm  sure 
I  should  never  have  thought  of  it." 

"  It  doesn't  much  matter  in  this  case  what  you 
would  have  thought.  Higginbotham's  bed  was  the 
place  I  thought  of  at  once;  and  I  am  still  of  opinion, 
in  spite  of  anything  you  say,  that  it  was  a  good  place. 
I  couldn't  open  the  window,  so  I  smashed  it.  That's 
the  whole  story.  I  don't  suppose  it's  as  good  a  one  as 
you  expected.  But  you  would  have  it." 

"  It's  better  than  I  expected,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby, 
"  and  I'm  much  obliged  to  you  for  telling  me." 

There  was  a  gentle  tap  at  the  door.  Meldon  jumped 
down  from  his  seat  on  the  table  and  took  his  cigar  out 
of  his  mouth. 

"  That's  Mary  Kate,  I  expect,  with  the  hot  water." 

It  was  Mary  Kate.  She  entered  the  room  with  a 
sheepish  grin  on  her  face.  In  one  hand  she  carried  a 
kettle  of  hot  water,  in  the  other  hand  a  loaf  of  soda- 
bread.  The  kettle  was  a  good  deal  the  heavier  burden 
of  the  two,  and  she  had  evidently  carried  it  first  in  one 
hand  and  then  in  the  other.  Its  handle  had  some  flour 
on  it.  The  bread  was  mottled  with  black  off  the  kettle. 


232  SPANISH  GOLD; 

"That's  a  good  girl,"  said  Meldon.  "Here's  half  a 
crown  for  you.  How  much  money  is  that  you  have  now 
altogether  ?  " 

"  It's  four  shillings,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

"  There,"  said  Meldon,  "  I  told  you  she  was  an 
intelligent  child.  Now  listen  to  me,  Mary  Kate.  The 
reason  you're  getting  half  a  crown  this  time  is  that  the 
gentleman  over  there  in  the  chair  is  the  Chief  Secretary. 
Do  you  know  what  a  Chief  Secretary  is  ?  " 

"  I  do  not." 

"  Well,  I  haven't  time  to  explain  it  to  you  now ; 
but  if  you  come  up  here  to-morrow  to  Mr.  Higgin- 
botham  he'll  tell  you  all  about  the  Chief  Secretary. 
How's  Michael  Pat?" 

Mary  Kate  grinned. 

"  If  you're  going  to  grin  like  that  when  I  ask  you 
questions,"  said  Meldon,  "  you'd  better  go  home." 

He  pushed  her  gently  from  the  room  and  shut  the 
door. 

"  Now,  Higginbotham,  put  that  kettle  on  your  stove 
and  bring  it  to  the  boil  again.  And  you'd  better  take 
a  note  of  your  engagement  with  that  child.  It  won't 
do  for  you  to  be  out  when-  she  comes.  Now  for  tea." 

"  Mr.  Meldon,"  said  the  Chief  Secretary,  "  I'd  take 
it  as  a  personal  favour  if  you'd  stay  here  and  see  me 
through  the  interview  between  Father  Mulcrone  and 
the  old  man  who  won't  give  up  his  land." 

"  Certainly.  You're  not  expecting  any  sort  of  a 
fight,  are  you?  If  you  are,  I'd  better  go  and  borrow 
a  stick  somewhere." 

"Oh,  no.  Nothing  of  that  sort.  It's  only  that  the 
priest  got  rather  the  better  of  me  yesterday.  He 
made  me  promise  what  will  cost  the  Government  a 


SPANISH  GOLD  233 

thousand  pounds  and  he'll  probably  want  to  get  as 
much  more  out  of  me  this  afternoon." 

"  That'll  be  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  You  leave  it  to 
me.  Give  me  a  free  hand,  that's  all  I  ask.  I'll  manage 
him  for  you." 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  Chief  Secretary;  "he's  a 
persistent  man,  but  if  anybody  can  get  the  better  of 
him  I'm  sure  you  can." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Meldon,  "  it  was  either  a  pier 
or  seed  potatoes  he  wanted  the  money  for.  Probably 
Seed  potatoes.  The  place  must  be  rotten  with  piers 
already." 

"He  wanted  both,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "It  was 
the  potatoes  I  promised." 

"Well,  I'll  get  you  out  of  that  if  I  can.  But  don't 
count  on  it.  I  may  not  be  able  to  manage." 

Mr.  Willoughby  looked  rather  doubtfully  at  the 
loaf  of  bread  with  the  smears  of  kettle-black  which 
Mary  Kate's  fingers  left  on  it.  He  was  not  reassured 
by  the  way  in  which  Meldon  cut  it  up.  The  plan 
was  simple.  Grasping  the  loaf  firmly,  he  sliced  off 
long  strips.  These  he  laid  one  by  one  flat  along  the 
palm  of  his  left  hand  and  held  them  in  position  by 
pressing  his  thumb  into  the  corners.  Then  he  drew 
a  buttery  knife  across  them.  Higginbotham  laid  out 
his  two  cups  and  his  slop  bowl.  They  were  quite 
clean.  Meldon's  hands  were  not.  When  tea  was  over 
Meldon  suggested  that  they  should  smoke. 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  that  I've  no  more 
cigars  with  me.  The  rest  of  my  supply  is  on  board 
the  Granuaile." 

"Higginbotham,"  said  Meldon,  "stick  your  head 
outside  the  door  and  see  if  the  steamer  is  coming  into 


234  SPANISH  GOLD 

the  bay  yet.  You  must  try  a  fill  of  my  baccy,  Mr. 
Willonghby.  I'm  sure  Higginbotham  will  have  a  spare 
pipe." 

He  pulled  a  lump  of  black  twist  tobacco  out  of  his 
trousers  pocket  and  handed  it  to  the  Chief  Secretary. 
Then  he  rose  and  began  to  search  for  a  pipe.  Mr. 
Willoughby  eyed  the  tobacco,  turning  it  over  and  over 
in  his  hand.  Higginbotham  returned  with  the  news 
that  the  Granuaile  had  just  appeared  round  the  south 
point  of  the  bay. 

"I  fear,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "that  this  tobacco 
is  too  strong  for  me.  I  think  that  as  the  Granuaile 
is  so  near  I'll  wait  until  I  can  get  some  more  of  my 
own  cigars." 

"All  right,"  said  Meldon.  "I'll  have  a  pipe.  I'll 
step  down  to  the  pier  as  soon  as  I  have  it  lighted  and 
be  ready  to  meet  Father  Mulcrone.  I'll  send  the 
boat  back  for  the  cigars.  In  the  meanwhile,  Higgin- 
botham, you'd  better  go  and  collar  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat." 

"  He  promised  to  come  here,"  said  Higginbotham, 
"  as  soon  as  ever  the  Granuaile  dropped  anchor." 

"  Don't  you  rely  too  much  on  his  promises,"  said 
Meldon.  "  That  old  boy  has  taken  you  in  once  or 
twice  already.  You  can't  believe  a  word  these  people 
say,"  he  explained  to  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  Even  Mary 
Kate  would  lie  to  you  if  she  stood  to  gain  anything  by 
it.  They  simply  don't  know  what  truth  is." 

"Are  they  pragmatists ? "  asked  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  No ;  they're  not,"  said  Meldon  severely.  "  If  you 
had  listened  to  me  when  I  was  explaining  to  you 
what  pragmatism  is,  you'd  know  that  these  people 
aren't  pragmatists.  I  can't  go  into  the  whole  question 


SPANISH  GOLD 

again  now;  but  I'll  just  say  this  much:  The  prag- 
matists,  according  to  their  own  idea,  know  what  truth 
is.  And  what's  more,  they're  the  only  people  in  the 
world  who  do.  Now  what  I  said  about  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat  and  Mary  Kate  is  that  they  don't  know ; 
therefore  they  can't  be  pragmatists.  That  ought  to 
be  fairly  obvious.  I'm  off  now  to  meet  Father  Mul- 
crone.  Goodbye." 

"Mr.  Higginbotham,"  said  the  Chief  Secretary, 
"  did  you  follow  that  reasoning  about  the  pragmatists 
and  Mary  Kate  ?  " 

"Not — not  quite.  But  I  didn't  take  up  ethics  in 
College.  Meldon  did." 

"Did  you  watch  him  cut  the  bread-and-butter  for 
tea?" 

"  I  did.     I  was  sorry  he  insisted  on  cutting  it.     His 

hands  were But  he's  a  really  good  sort  at  bottom, 

though  he  has  his  peculiarities.  I've  known  him  for 
years." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  great  privilege.  Did  you  see 
the  bit  of  tobacco  he  offered  me  ?  " 

"  No ;  was  there  anything  wrong  with  it?  " 

"  He  took  it  out  of  his  trousers  pocket,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby,  "  and  it  was  quite  warm.  Mr.  Meldon 
is  certainly  a  very  remarkable  man.  I  wonder  how 
he'll  get  on  with  Father  Mulcrone.  I  wonder  will  he 
succeed  in  capturing  all  my  cigars." 

The  Granuaile's  boat,  with  Father  Mulcrone  seated 
in  the  stern,  approached  the  pier.  Meldon  hailed  her. 
The  priest,  a  plump  man,  with  a  weather-beaten  face 
and  small,  keen  grey  eyes,  waved  his  hand  in  response. 

"Delighted  to  see  you,"  said  Meldon,  as  the  boat 
touched  the  pier  and  the  priest  stepped  ashore.  "I 


236  SPANISH  GOLD 

have  heard  a  good  deal  about  you.  My  name  is 
Meldon — J.  J.  Meldon.  I'm  acting  with  the  Chief 
Secretary  here  and  he  asked  me  to  meet  you." 

"  How  do  you  do  ?  How  do  you  do  ? "  said  the 
priest. 

"  Quite  well.  I  needn't  ask  how  you  are.  Flowers 
in  May  are  nothing  to  you  in  the  matter  of  bloom  of 
appearance." 

Father  Mulcrone  seemed  a  little  surprised  at  this 
warm  compliment. 

"  What  does  the  Chief  Secretary  want  with  me  now?  " 

"  We'll  come  to  that  in  a  minute.  First  of  all  I 
want  to  know  is  there  nothing  else  that  would  do  you 
except  a  pier  ?  " 

"A  pier!" 

"  Well,  seed  potatoes,  then.  I  forgot  for  the  moment 
which  it  was." 

"  The  season's  very  backward,  very  backward 
indeed,"  said  the  priest,  "  and  the  poor  people  will 
be  badly  off  next  spring.  Unless  we  get  some  help 
from  the  Government  there'll  be  starvation  in  our 
midst." 

"  Have  you  a  Board  of  Guardians  on  the  island?" 

"  We  have  not.  And  I  wouldn't  say  but  we're  as  well 
without  one." 

"  I  dare  say  you're  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  But  about 
those  seed  potatoes.  The  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to 
get  the  nearest  Board  of  Guardians  to  pass  a  good 
strong  resolution." 

"  That  might  be  done." 

"  Tell  them  to  put  something  in  about  the  represent- 
atives of  the  people  and  the  inalienable  rights  of  the 
tillers  of  the  soil." 


SPANISH  GOLD  237 

"  They'll  do  that  whether  I  ask  them  or  not." 

"  Get  that  resolution  forwarded  to  the  Local  Govern- 
ment Board  in  Dublin.  Then  wait  three  weeks." 

"What  for?" 

"  Oh,  it's  the  usual  thing.  If  these  things  aren't 
done  properly  the  Chief  Secretary  can't  act,  simply 
can't.  Then  send  a  deputation  to  wait  on  the  President 
of  the  Board.  You  understand  me?" 

"  I  do,  of  course." 

"  It'll  be  as  well  if  you  could  spare  the  time  to  go  up 
with  the  deputation  yourself.  Lay  the  matter  before 
them  in  temperate  language — strong  but  temperate. 
Then  you'll  see  what'll  happen  about  the  seed 
potatoes." 

Father  Mulcrone  winked  at  Meldon. 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  born  fool,"  he  said,  "  that 
you're  talking  that  way  to  me  ?  " 

"  As  you've  asked  me  the  question  straight,  I  may 
as  well  say  that  I  don't  take  you  for  anything  of  the 
sort.  I  knew  the  kind  of  man  you  were  the  minute 
I  set  eyes  on  you.  But  I  promised  the  Chief  Secretary 
that  I'd  try  and  do  you  out  of  those  seed  potatoes  if 
I  could." 

"  So  you  thought  you'd  get  him  off  if  you  persuaded 
me  to  have  a  lot  of  resolutions  passed  and  go  on  a 
deputation." 

"  I  did  think  that,  and  what's  more  I  think  it  still. 
But  you  wouldn't  fall  in  with  the  plan." 

"  I  would  not." 

"  Very  well,  then.  We'll  pass  on,  as  they  say,  to  the 
next  business.  There's  an  old  fellow  on  this  island 
called  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat." 

"  I  know  him  well,"  said  the  priest. 


238  SPANISH  GOLD 

"Well,  you'll  hardly  believe  it,  but  that  old  fellow 
is  holding  out  against  the  entire  Congested  Districts 
Board.  He  won't  give  up  his  wretched  little  house 
and  the  bit  of  land  round  it,  hardly  big  enough  to  sod 
a  lark,  and  it  with  a  hole  in  the  middle  that  would 
swallow  a  heifer." 

"  I'll  talk  to  him,"  said  the  priest. 

"  I  thought  you  would.  That's  the  reason  I  sent  for 
you.  Come  along.  We  have  him  set  out  waiting  for 
you.  At  least  I  told  Higginbotham  to  go  and  get  him." 

Taking  Father  Mulcrone's  arm  he  walked  up  towards 
the  hut. 

"  I  almost  forgot  to  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  that  the 
great  difficulty  about  old  O'Flaherty  is  that  he  can't 
talk  English." 

"  He'll  talk  it  quick  enough  when  I  get  at  him." 

"  I  just  thought  he  would." 

"  For  the  matter  of  that  I'm  not  sure  that  I  wouldn't 
as  soon  sort  him  in  Irish." 

"  Just  as  you  like,  of  course,"  said  Meldon.  "  It's 
all  the  same  to  us,  so  long  as  you  bring  him  to  his 
senses." 

"  What  right  has  a  man  like  him  to  be  thwarting  the 
excellent  intentions  of  the  Board?  " 

"  None,"  said  Meldon ;  "  and  poor  Higginbotham, 
who's  brimful  of  the  most  excellent  intentions  you 
can  possibly  imagine,  is  nearly  heart-broken  about  it. 
You'd  be  sorry  for  Higginbotham  if  you  saw  him;  he's 
growing  thin." 

"  I  have  seen  him,"  said  the  priest,  "  if  he's  the 
inspector  the  Board  sent  out.  He  was  over  at  Inish- 
more  this  morning,  just  after  the  yacht  left,  looking 
out  to  see  which  of  the  people  had  consumption." 


SPANISH  GOLD,  239 

They  reached  the  hut  and  found  Mr.  Willoughby 
seated  in  the  hammock-chair.  Higginbotham  was 
absent  in  pursuit  of  the  reluctant  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
Pat.  Mr.  Willoughby  rose  at  once  and  offered  the  chair 
to  the  priest. 

"  No,  thank  you ;  no,  thank  you,"  said  Father  Mul- 
crone.  "  If  I  sat  down  in  the  like  of  that  chair  I'd 
never  get  out.  I'm  a  heavy  man." 

"  Father  Mulcrone  and  I  will  sit  on  the  bed,"  said 
Meldon.  "Oh,  it's  all  right,  Mr.  Willoughby.  I'll 
move  the  oars  and  give  the  quilt  a  shake.  I  don't 
want  to  set  Father  Mulcrone  down  on  a  pile  of 
broken  glass.  I've  more  respect  for  him  than  to  do 
that." 

He  took  the  quilt  outside  the  hut  and  flapped  it 
vigorously  up  and  down. 

"  I  see  Higginbotham  and  the  old  man  coming 
down  the  hill  together,"  he  said.  "  There's  quite  a 
little  crowd  after  them,  but  we  needn't  let  anybody  in 
unless  we  like.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Willoughby,  Father 
Mulcrone  and  I  had  a  chat  on  the  way  up  from  the 
pier  about  those  seed  potatoes.  He  can't  do  without 
them.  It's  a  case  of  potatoes  or  coffins  for  the  people 
on  those  islands  next  spring." 

"  I  feared  so,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  with  a  sigh ; 
"  but  I'm  sure  you  did  your  best." 

Higginbotham,  with  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  a 
dignified  captive,  entered  the  hut.  The  old  man  took 
off  his  hat  and  bowed  courteously  to  the  men  in 
front  of  him.  He  held  himself  erect.  .His  fine  eyes 
wandered  gravely  round  the  hut.  His  face  expressed 
neither  curiosity  nor  obsequiousness.  Mr.  Willoughby 
was  a  gentleman,  accustomed  to  the  society  of  titled 


240  SPANISH  GOLD 

hostesses  and  the  manners  of  exclusive  London 
clubs.  Higginbotham  could  behave  gracefully  at 
suburban  tennis  parties.  Meldon  and  Father  Mul- 
crone  were  strong  and  self-assertive  men.  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat  looked  and  behaved  in  this  company 
like  a  genuine  aristocrat.  He  waited  for  what  was  to 
be  said  to  him  with  an  air  of  courteous  aloofness.  He 
appeared  fully  conscious  of  a  certain  superiority  in 
himself,  a  superiority  so  self-evident  as  to  require 
neither  assertion  nor  emphasis. 

"You  are  Mr.  Thomas  O'Flaherty,  I  think,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Ni  beurla  agam,"  said  the  old  man,  bowing  again. 

Then  Father  Mulcrone  began.  He  spoke  in  Irish, 
rapidly  and  at  some  length.  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat 
replied  in  a  few  calm  words.  The  priest  spoke  again, 
raising  his  voice  indignantly.  Again  he  received  only 
the  briefest  of  answers.  A  torrent  of  words  followed 
from  the  priest.  Father  Mulcrone  had  made  no  idle 
boast  when  he  said  that  he  could  deal  with  the  old 
man  in  Irish.  He  never  paused  for  an  instant,  never 
hesitated  for  a  word.  Thomas  O'Flaherty  was  moved 
to  quite  a  long  reply.  The  priest  interrupted  him 
frequently,  but  the  old  man  showed  no  sign  of  excite- 
ment and  spoke  all  the  time  with  gentle  courtesy. 
When  he  stopped,  Father  Mulcrone  rose  from  the  bed 
and  spoke  with  unabated  volubility.  He  gesticulated 
violently,  waving  his  arms  and  bringing  the  palms  of 
his  hands  together  with  loud  smacks.  For  half  an 
hour  the  dispute  continued,  heated  argument  on  the 
one  side,  dignified  reply  on  the  other.  At  last  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  a  gesture 
of  despair. 


SPANISH  GOLD  241 

"I  have  him  persuaded  at  last,"  said  Father  Mul- 
crone,  wiping  his  brow  with  the  back  of  his  hand, 
"but  I  had  a  tough  job  of  it.  A  more  obstinate  man 
I  never  met  in  all  my  born  days." 

"I  thought  you'd  get  him  in  the  end,"  said  Meldon. 
"  I  couldn't  understand  a  word  you  were  saying,  of 
course,  but  the  way  you  said  it  made  me  feel  that  the 
poor  old  fellow  hadn't  half  a  chance." 

"  If  you  have  the  papers  ready  to-morrow  morning," 
said  Father  Mulcrone  to  Higginbotham,  "  I'll  see  that 
he  signs  them." 

"  We're  all  greatly  obliged  to  you,"  said  Meldon. 
"  Without  your  help  I  really  don't  know  what  we 
should  have  done." 

"As  Mr.  Meldon  says,"  added  the  Chief  Secretary, 
"  we're  greatly  obliged  to  you.  And  now,  gentlemen, 
I  hope  you'll  come  and  dine  with  me  on  the  Granuaile. 
I  can  offer  you  a  small  cabin  for  the  night,  Father 
Mulcrone.  It's  too  late  to  go  back  to  Inishmore." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Meldon.  "  We'll  go,  of  course. 
What  do  you  say,  Father  Mulcrone?  I'm  only  sorry 
the  Major  won't  be  with  us." 

"The  Major!"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "Oh,  yes; 
Major  Kent,  of  course,  the  geological  expert.  Go  and 
fetch  him,  Mr.  Meldon.  I  shall  be  delighted  to  see  him." 

"  He  wouldn't  come  if  I  did,"  said  Meldon.  "  Apart 
altogether  from  the  survey  business  he  wouldn't  come. 
Nothing  would  induce  him  to  dine  out  without  a  dress- 
coat,  and  he  hasn't  got  one  on  the  yacht.  That's  the 
kind  of  man  he  is.  In  any  case  I  don't  want  to  go 
back  to  the  yacht  to  ask  him.  There's  a  breeze  getting 
up  now  and  if  the  Major  got  me  on  board  he'd  want 
to  up  anchor  and  run  home." 


242  SPANISH  GOLD 

Meldon  took  possession  of  the  Chief  Secretary  and 
led  the  way  to  the  pier.  He  looked  up  at  the  sky 
and  sniffed  the  air  suspiciously. 

"  There's  a  change  coming,"  he  said.  "  It  will  be 
blowing  hard  before  morning." 

"  Which  of  the  two  yachts  is  yours  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Willoughby. 

"  Do  you  mean  which  of  the  two  actually  belongs  to 
me,  or  do  you  mean  which  do  I  happen  to  be  cruising 
in  at  present  ?  " 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  sounds  like  another 
riddle.  Does  it  by  any  chance  illustrate  the  pragmatist 
philosophy  ?  " 

"  It  might,  if  properly  worked  out.  But  I'm  too 
hungry  to  attempt  that  now.  About  those  yachts — the 
one  to  the  south  is  Major  Kent's  Spindrift.  I'm  with 
him  for  this  cruise.  The  other  is  my  Aureole.  I've 
hired  her  to  Sir  Giles  Buckley.  I  see  him  and  his 
friend  Euseby  Langton  coming  ashore  now  in  their 
punt.  By  Jove !  That  reminds  me.  Higginbotham ! " 

He  stood  still  suddenly.  The  Chief  Secretary  also 
halted.  His  face  expressed  patient  expectation  and  a 
determination  not  to  be  surprised.  Higginbotham 
and  Father  Mulcrone  overtook  them. 

"  Higginbotham,"  said  Meldon,  "  did  you  lock  the 
door  of  your  hut  ?  " 

"  No,  I  didn't.  I  locked  it  this  morning  when  I 
went " 

"And  you  found  your  bed  full  of  oars  and  broken 
glass,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "I  think  you're  right 
to  leave  the  door  open  this  time." 

"When  I  tell  you,"  said  Meldon,  "that  Sir  Giles 
is  coming  ashore  in  his  punt  and  that  he  went  down 


SPANISH  GOLD  243 

the  hole  in  Thomas  O'Flaherty's  field  this  morning, 
perhaps  you  will  go  back  and  lock  your  door." 

"  I  will,  if  you  like,  but  I  don't  know  what  you 
mean." 

"  If  you  don't  understand  what  I'm  telling  you," 
said  Meldon,  "you  needn't  bother  about  the  door; 
but  in  that  case  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  ought  certainly 
to  be  warned." 

"  I  thought  when  I  first  heard  of  you,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby,  "  that  you  were  an  impudent  liar.  Next 
I  decided  that  you  were  a  lunatic.  Then  I  made  sure 
you  were  a  man  of  unusual  force  of  character  and 
mental  agility.  Now  I'm  getting  puzzled  about  you 
again." 

"Don't  bother  about  me,"  said  Meldon.  "I'm 
sorry  for  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat,  that's  all.  It  makes 
me  a  bit  nervous  to  see  Sir  Giles  coming  ashore  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening." 

"Who  is  Sir  Giles?"  asked  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  He's  rather  a  hot  lot.  In  fact,  he's  a  bit  of  a  lad. 
He'd " — Meldon  paused  and  looked  meaningly  at  the 
priest,  then  he  whistled — "  as  soon  as  drink  a  pint  of 
porter.  You  know  what  I  mean,  Father  Mulcrone." 

"  I  do,"  said  the  priest;  "  I  do  well." 

"I  don't,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "I  wish  you'd 
explain.  Do  you  know,  Mr.  Higginbotham  ?  " 

"  I  do  a  little,"  said  Higginbotham.  "  That's  to  say, 
I  more  or  less  guess." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  plaintively,  "  that 
it's  better  for  me  not  to  know.  I  am  a  mere  child 
compared  to  you  two  reverend  gentlemen.  I  ought 
to  be  grateful  to  you  for  respecting  my  innocence  and 
for  not  speaking  more  plainly  than  you  do." 


244  SPANISH  GOLD 

A  boat  from  the  Granuaile  lay  alongside  the  pier. 
The  party  embarked  just  as  Sir  Giles  Buckley's  punt 
reached  the  shore. 

"  Good-evening,  Sir  Giles,"  said  Meldon.  "  Surely 
you're  not  going  down  that  hole  again  to-night." 

Sir  Giles  scowled  in  reply. 

"  That  gentleman  doesn't  seem  to  be  on  very  good 
terms  with  you,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  He's  not  just  at  present,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  had  a 
conversation  with  him  this  afternoon.  He  chose  to 
assume  that  I  wasn't  speaking  the  truth,  and  he  hasn't 
got  over  it  since." 

"  I  have  a  certain  sympathy  with  him,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby.  "  I  dare  say  he  knows  little  or  nothing 
about  pragmatism.  I  went  very  near  getting  angry 
myself  when  I  thought — just  for  the  moment — that  you 
had  been  deceiving  Mr.  Higginbotham." 

"  You  got  over  it  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  Nobody 
minds  a  man  flaring  out  now  and  then  as  you  did. 
[You  don't  keep  on  sulking  like  that  beast  Sir  Giles. 
lYou  are  a  more  or  less  reasonable  man." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

ON  board  the  Granuaile  Mr.  Willoughby  showed 
himself  a  courteous  host.  He  took  Father 
Mulcrone  to  a  cabin  and  offered  to  provide  him  with 
anything  he  wanted.  But  the  priest,  having  foreseen 
that  he  would  sleep  elsewhere  than  in  his  own  bed, 
had  with  him  a  small  bag  which  contained  all  that  he 
required.  Higginbotham  and  Meldon  were  put  into 
another  cabin.  The  party  assembled  in  the  saloon  and 
dinner  was  served. 

"  You  do  yourself  pretty  well  on  this  boat,"  said 
Meldon  as  he  tasted  the  soup.  "  The  Major  and  I  have 
been  living  principally  on  sardines  and  tinned  brawn. 
Higginbotham  gets  a  lobster  now  and  then.  I  suppose 
you  have  more  lobsters  than  you  care  about  in  the 
course  of  the  summer,  Father  Mulcrone?" 

"  I  get  plenty,"  said  the  priest.  "  Lobsters,  potatoes, 
and  tea.  They're  the  easiest  things  to  get  on  Inish- 
more." 

After  this  the  conversation  languished.  Mr.  Wil- 
loughby was  disappointed.  He  expected  an  amusing 
dinner.  He  found  himself  obliged  to  talk  on  dull 
subjects  to  Higginbotham,  who  was  too  much  over- 
awed by  the  company  of  a  Chief  Secretary  to  do  more 
than  make  respectful  replies.  Meldon  said  a  word  in 

245 


246  SPANISH  GOLD 

praise  of  each  dish  he  tasted,  and  Father  Mulcrone 
supplemented  what  he  said  in  the  manner  of  a  man 
who  seconds  a  vote  of  thanks.  Otherwise,  neither  of 
the  two  clergymen  talked.  They  were  both  hungry. 
They  were  both  accustomed  to  take  their  meals  alone. 
They  both  regarded  the  eating  of  a  good  dinner  as  a 
serious  business,  demanding  undivided  attention.  Mr. 
Willoughby,  tired  of  Higginbotham,  undertook  a 
monologue,  and  kept  it  going  quietly  until  dinner  was 
over  and  cigars  were  lit. 

Then  Father  Mulcrone  told  a  story.  Meldon  capped 
it  with  another.  Father  Mulcrone  replied  with  a 
better  one.  Meldon  outwent  it.  The  stories  became 
more  and  more  extravagant.  Mr.  Willoughby  looked 
from  one  clergyman  to  the  other  and  laughed  heartily. 
Higginbotham  giggled  convulsively  in  a  corner. 
Neither  of  the  clergymen  even  smiled.  With  perfectly 
grave  faces,  in  tones  which  would  have  suited  a 
scientific  lecture,  they  narrated  absurdity  after  ab- 
surdity. It  was  Meldon  who  reached  the  climax,  who 
told  a  story  so  monstrously  improbable  that  Father 
Mulcrone  gave  up  the  attempt  to  better  it. 

"  For  a  young  man,"  said  the  priest,  "  and  I  wouldn't 
say  you  were  more  than  seven-and-twenty " 

"  I'll  be  that  in  three  weeks,  if  I  live  so  long,"  said 
Meldon. 

"  You've  a  deal  of  experience  of  this  country  and 
the  ways  of  the  people." 

"  For  the  matter  of  that  you've  seen  a  thing  or  two 
yourself." 

"  I  have ;  but  when  I  was  your  age  I  didn't  know 
the  half  of  what  you  do." 

It  was  a  handsome  tribute.     Meldon  appreciated  it. 


SPANISH  GOLD.  247 

He  raised  his  glass  of  whisky  and  water,  nodded  to 
Father  Mulcrone  and  said — 

"  May  the  devil  fly  away  with  the  roof  of  the  house 
where  you  and  I  aren't  welcome." 

"  I  consider  myself  fortunate,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby, 
"  in  having  as  my  guests  to-night  two  men  with  the 
knowledge  of  Ireland  which  you  possess.  I'm  learn- 
ing more  from  your  conversation  than  from  all  the 
Blue  Books  I  ever  read." 

"  I  think  we  may  understand  from  that  remark," 
said  Father  Mulcrone,  "  that  there's  no  danger  of 
the  slates  being  taken  off  the  Lodge  in  the  Phoenix 
while  you're  in  it." 

"  You'll  be  welcome  there,  either  of  you,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby,  "while  I  hold  office.  You'll  be  all 
the  more  welcome  if  you  come  together." 

"  We'll  do  it,"  said  Meldon. 

"  What  are  the  authorities  of  your  Churches  thinking 
of,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "when  they  leave  you  a 
curate,  Mr.  Meldon,  and  you  no  more  than  a  parish 
priest,  Father  Mulcrone?" 

"I'd  be  well  off  if  I  was  that  itself.  It's  a  CC. 
I  am,  and  so  far  as  I  know  it's  a  C.C.  I'm  likely 
to  remain." 

"You  ought,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "to  be  bishops 
at  least,  both  of  you.  If  I  had  the  arranging  of  these 
things  you'd  be  archbishops.  Why  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  reached  the  canonical  age,"  said  Meldon. 
"You  can't  be  a  bishop  till  you're  thirty.  I've  three 
years  more  to  wait." 

"  I  went  very  near  being  a  bishop  once,"  said  Father 
Mulcrone,  "and  it's  my  sincere  hope  I'll  never  be 
as  near  it  again.  It  wasn't  in  this  diocese  but  another, 


248  SPANISH  GOLD 

and  I  won't  tell  you  where  for  fear  of  an  action  for 
libel.  The  old  man  that  was  the  bishop  died.  The 
night  after  they  buried  him  I  happened  to  be  going 
along  the  road  in  the  dark.  It  might  have  been  ten 
o'clock  or  half -past.  Who  did  I  see  coming  along 
towards  me  but  the  dead  man,  dressed  up  in  his 
robes,  and  his  episcopal  ring  on  his  thumb.  When 
he  caught  sight  of  me  he  took  off  the  ring  and  held 
it  out  to  me  as  much  as  to  say,  *  It's  yourself,  Father 
Mulcrone,  that's  to  succeed  me.'  I  was  pleased,  I 
can  tell  you.  I  stuck  out  my  thumb  for  him  to  put 
the  ring  on,  seeing  that  was  what  he  seemed  to  be 
wanting  to  do.  Would  you  believe  it,  gentlemen? 
The  ring  was  red  hot ! " 

"And  is  that,"  said  Meldon,  "the  place  bishops 
go  to  when  they're  dead  ?  " 

"  It's  the  only  place  ever  I  heard  of,"  said  Father 
Mulcrone,  "  where  a  ring  could  get  into  such  a  state 
as  that." 

"  On  the  whole,  then,  I  think  I'll  stick  to  my  curacy. 
It's  safer." 

"  You're  right.     It's  what  I've  done  myself." 

There  was  a  silence  for  a  minute  or*  two,  broken 
only  by  half -suppressed  sniggers  from  Higginbotham. 
Then  Meldon  rose  with  a  sigh. 

"  You  have  me  beat,  Father  Mulcrone.  I  give  in 
to  you.  The  equal  of  the  experience  you've  just 
narrated  never  came  my  way.  I  think  I'll  be  saying 
good-night,  Mr.  Willoughby.  If  you'll  send  a  boat 
to  the  pier  with  me  and  Higginbotham,  I'll  get  my 
punt  there  and  go  off  to  the  Spindrift." 

The  Granuaile's  boat  landed  Meldon  and  Higgin- 
botham at  about  eleven  o'clock.  A  change  in  the 


SPANISH  GOLD  249 

weather  was  certainly  coming.  Great  masses  of 
clouds  were  piled  up  over  the  western  half  of  the 
sky.  Broken  fragments,  the  advance  guard  of  their 
army,  rushed  eastwards.  The  little  wind  there  had 
been  earlier  in  the  afternoon  was  gone.  The  air 
was  ominously  still.  From  the  far  side  of  the  island 
came  the  roar  of  waves.  The  sea  was  dashing  sullenly 
against  the  rocks  and  dragging  at  the  stones  on  the 
beaches.  Not  yet  lashed  by  the  storm,  it  already 
felt  a  premonition  of  the  storm's  coming.  Even  the 
water  in  the  sheltered  bay  was  affected  with  a  vague 
uneasiness.  Dark  lumps  rose  here  and  there  on  its 
surface  and  sank  again.  Silent  surges  crept  un- 
expectedly up  the  smooth  sides  of  the  pier,  mouthing 
at  the  stones,  slipping  down  again  unsatisfied,  eddying 
in  hungry  circles. 

Meldon  looked  round  him  uncomfortably. 

"  I'll  take  the  punt  on  board  to-night,"  he  said, 
"  and  I'll  pay  out  a  few  extra  fathom  of  anchor  chain. 
There'll  be  a  blow  before  morning.  If  I  were  you, 
Higginbotham,  I'd  stuff  an  old  towel  or  something 
into  that  broken  window.  It's  going  to  rain  and 
rain  heavy.  Good-night." 

"  Good-night.  What  a  pleasant  man  Mr.  Willoughby 
is!  I  am  so  glad  there  was  no  trouble  between  you 
and  him.  Good-night." 

Meldon  struck  a  match  and  lit  his  pipe.  Then  he 
stooped  down  to  loose  the  painter  of  the  punt.  As 
he  did  so  he  heard  footsteps  on  the  granite  surface  of 
the  pier,  the  footsteps  of  some  one  who  approached 
him.  He  supposed  that  Higginbotham  had  returned 
again  to  say  some  forgotten  word.  With  the  rope  he 
had  cast  loose  in  his  hand  he  stood  and  waited.  It 


•250  SPANISH  GOLD 

was  not  Higginbotham  who  approached.  Whoever 
it  was  stopped  about  ten  yards  away  from  him. 
Meldon  could  dimly  discern  the  figure  of  a  man  much 
taller  than  Higginbotham.  A  voice,  raised  very  little 
above  a  whisper,  reached  him — 

"  Master." 

Meldon  stooped  and  refastened  the  painter.  He 
heard  the  voice  again  but  did  not  recognise  it. 

"  Master." 

He  approached  the  tall  figure,  peering  eagerly 
through  the  darkness. 

"  I'm  blessed,"  he  said,  "  if  it  isn't  old  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  Pat!  So  you've  got  one  word  of  English, 
have  you?  Maybe  now  if  you  searched  in  the  corner 
of  your  mind  you  might  find  a  little  more." 

"  I  have  plenty,"  said  the  old  man.  "  There's  few 
have  more  English  nor  better  English  than  myself." 

"  I  always  thought  you  had,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'd 
have  laid  long  odds  on  it  if  I'd  been  a  betting  man, 
which,  of  course,  I'm  not.  Now  what  is  it  you  want  ?  " 

"  It's  yourself,  Master." 

"  Is  it,  then  ?  And  what  would  you  do  with  me 
supposing  you  had  me?  Tell  me  that.  Is  it  wanting 
me  to  speak  a  word  for  you  to  the  Chief  Secretary  you 
are,  to  get  back  your  house  and  land  ?  " 

"  It  is  not." 

"  If  it  is,  I'll  do  it,  of  course ;  but  I  tell  you  straight 
that  it  won't  be  the  smallest  bit  of  use.  The  whole 
might  of  the  British  Empire  is  against  you.  They'll 
get  your  land  out  of  you  if  they  have  to  send  a 
man-of-war  round  to  do  it.  Besides,  you  know,  you 
gave  yourself  away  badly  in  that  interview  with  Father 
Mulcrone  to-day.  I  don't  blame  you.  I  knew  very 


SPANISH  GOLD  251 

well  you  were  done  for  when  they  fetched  the  priest 
to  you.  It  was  a  mean  trick,  that.  No  real  sportsman 
would  have  done  it.  It  was  a  sort  of  sitting  shot. 
You  didn't  have  the  ghost  of  a  chance.  Now  if  you'd 
been  treated  fairly  and  left  to  worry  it  out  with 
nobody  but  Mary  Kate  to  come  between  you  and  the 
Board,  you  might  have  kept  them  arguing  till  either 
they  or  you  were  dead." 

"It  isn't  wanting  you  to  speak  for  me  I  am. 
Neither  to  himself,  nor  his  reverence,  nor  to  any 
other  man." 

"Is  it  a  writing,  then?" 

"  It  is  not." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear  that  any  way,  for  I  haven't 
brought  my  fountain  pen  with  me  on  this  cruise,  and 
I'm  thinking  it's  poorly  I'd  write  with  any  pen  and  ink 
that  you  are  likely  to  have.  But  if  it  isn't  to  speak 
nor  yet  to  write  I  don't  quite  see  what  it  is  you  do 
want." 

"  It's  yourself." 

"  That's  all  very  fine.  I  owe  you  a  good  turn  for 
giving  me  that  crab,  and  I  admire  the  plucky  way  in 
which  you've  stood  up  to  Higginbotham  and  the 
Board,  but  I'm  not  going  to  hand  myself  over  body 
and  soul  to  a  man  I've  only  known  for  three  days 
without  finding  out  what  he  wants  me  for.  Has  any- 
thing gone  wrong  with  Mary  Kate  or  Michael  Pat  ?  " 

"  I'd  be  thankful  to  you  if  you'd  step  up  to  my 
little  houseen,  the  place  that  they're  going  to  take 
from  me." 

"What  for?"  said  Meldon.  "I  declare  to  good- 
ness it's  very  near  as  hard  to  make  out  what  you  want 
now  you're  talking  English  as  it  was  before." 


252  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  There's  that  there  that  I'd  be  glad  to  show  you. 
Maybe  you'd  tell  me  what  would  be  the  best  to  be 
done.  It's  what  I  never  expected  to  show  to  any  man, 
let  alone  a  stranger  like  yourself.  But  my  mind's 
made  up,  and  I'll  show  it  to  you." 

Meldon  gripped  the  old  man  by  the  arm. 

"  Is  it  the  treasure  you  have  hid  there  ?  " 

"Treasure?" 

"Treasure;  yes.  Gold.  Do  you  understand?  Is 
it  gold  you  have  up  in  your  house  ?  " 

"  It  might,  then." 

"  Is  there  much  of  it?    How  much  is  there?  " 

"There's  a  power.  Glory  be  to  God,  there's  a 
mighty  deal  of  it!  More,  maybe,  than  ever  you  saw  in 
one  place  together  in  all  your  life." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  Meldon.  "  Let  me  set  eyes: 
on  it.  I  dare  say  you  guessed — I  always  said  you 
weren't  such  a  fool  as  you  tried  to  make  out  to 
Higginbotham — I  dare  say  you  guessed  that  the  Major 
and  I  were  after  that  treasure  ourselves." 

"  I  did." 

"I  thought  you  did.  And  the  gentlemen  from  the 
other  yacht  were  after  it,  too.  You  guessed  that,  I 


suppose 


"Didn't  I  see  them  going  down  the  Poll-na-phuca ? 
What  else  would  the  likes  of  them  be  after  in  such 
a  place  ?  " 

"  Well,  I'll  say  this.  If  I  wasn't  to  get  it  myself,  I'd 
sooner  you  had  it  than  another.  I  hope  you'll  make 
a  good  use  of  it  and  not  be  wasting  it  on  drink 
and  foolishness.  Give  Mary  Kate  a  good  fortune 
when  the  time  comes  and  marry  her  to  a  decent 
man." 


SPANISH  GOLD  253 

"Sure,  what's  the  use  of  talking?"  said  the  old  man 
in  a  tone  of  despair.  "  It'll  be  took  from  me  along 
with  the  house.  The  Board  will  take  it  and  never  a 
penny  will  the  little  lady  be  the  better  of  it,  no  more 
than  myself  or  any  other  one." 

"  Maybe  they  won't  get  taking  it,"  said  Meldon, 
"  though  indeed  for  all  the  good  you're  getting  out  of 
it  at  present  they  might  as  well.  I  don't  see  that  it's 
any  use  to  you  if  you  don't  so  much  as  buy  yourself  a 
decent  suit  of  clothes  and  spend  sixpence  on  getting 
your  hair  cut.  It's  a  shame  for  a  rich  man  like  you  to 
be  going  about  the  way  you  are." 

"  What  good  would  grand  clothes  be  to  the  likes 
of  me?" 

"  I'm  beginning  to  understand  things  a  bit,"  said 
Meldon,  whose  thoughts  had  passed  away  from  the 
use  to  be  made  of  the  money.  "  I  see  the  reason  now 
why  you  wouldn't  give  up  the  house  and  land  to 
Higginbotham.  You're  certainly  no  fool.  That  dodge 
of  yours,  pretending  you  couldn't  speak  a  word  of 
any  language  except  Irish,  was  uncommonly  nippy.  I 
doubt  if  I  could  have  hit  on  anything  better  myself,  and 
I've  had  some  experience  in  disguises.  Only  for  the 
priest  you  might  have  kept  them  all  at  bay.  I  don't  see 
what  they  could  have  done  to  you,  even  if  they  took 
to  asking  questions  in  Parliament." 

"What  was  the  good?  They  have  it  taken  off  me 
now  at  the  latter  end." 

"They  have  the  house  and  land,"  said  Meldon. 
"There's  no  doubt  of  that.  But  I  wouldn't  say  they 
have  the  treasure  yet.  You  came  to  the  right  man 
when  you  came  to  me.  If  that  treasure  can  be  saved, 
I'll  save  it.  What  would  you  say  now  if  we  carried 


254  SPANISH  GOLD 

it  down  to-night  to  Mrs.  O'Flaherty's,  Michael  Pat's 
mother,  and  hid  it  under  the  old  woman's  bed  ?  " 

"  I  wouldn't  trust  her.     She'd  steal  it  on  me." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  would.  Not  if  you  gave  her 
a  bit  for  herself  and  bought  a  silver  mug  or  something 
for  Michael  Pat.  But  if  you  don't  like  the  notion  of 
her,  what  about  Mary  Kate's  mother?  She's  your 
own  daughter." 

"  She'd  steal  it  on  me  as  quick  as  another." 

"  Would  she,  then  ?  I  declare  to  goodness  you 
have  a  pretty  low  opinion  of  your  relatives  and 
friends.  I  don't  believe  they'd  touch  a  penny  of  it. 
Have  you  any  plan  in  your  own  head  ?  " 

"  Let  you  be  coming  up  and  taking  a  look  at  it." 

"  I  will,  of  course ;  I'm  most  anxious  to  see  it. 
But  tell  me  what  it  is  you  think  of  doing  with  it?  " 

"  I  thought  maybe "  the  old  man  paused  and 

laid  his  hand  on  Meldon's  arm. 

"Well?" 

"  I  thought  maybe  you  and  the  other  gentleman 
would  take  it  with  you  in  the  yacht  and  put  it  in 
the  savings  bank  beyond  in  the  big  town." 

"That  beats  all,"  said  Meldon.  "And  what  would 
hinder  us  from  making  off  with  it  and  never  coming 
next  or  nigh  you  again  ?  " 

"  You  wouldn't  do  the  like." 

"  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  wouldn't.  No  more 
would  the  Major.  But  how  do  you  know  that?  It's 
a  queer  thing  that  a  man  who  wouldn't  trust  his 
own  daughter,  and  her  living  under  his  very  eye, 
would  hand  over  a  lot  of  money  like  that  to  two 
strangers." 

"  Sure,  I  could  see  by  the  face  of  you  the  minute 


SPANISH  GOLD  255 

you  first  set  foot  on  the  pier  that  you  were  as  simple 
and  innocent  and  harmless  as  could  be.  Anybody 
could  tell  by  the  talk  of  you  that  you  couldn't  get 
the  better  of  a  child,  let  alone  a  grown  man  like 
myself,  begging  your  honour's  pardon  for  thinking 
that  ever  you'd  want  to  do  the  like." 

"  You're  quite  wrong  about  that,"  said  Meldon, 
irritated  by  this  compliment  to  his  integrity,  "  and  if 
you  dare  to  say  such  a  thing  again  I'll  not  help  you 
with  your  treasure.  Mind  what  I  say.  Another  word 
of  that  sort  out  of  your  head  and  I'll  go  straight 
down  to  Higginbotham  and  tell  him  what  you've 
got." 

"  Let  you  be  coming  along  now,"  said  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  in  an  indulgent  tone,  "and  don't  be 
wasting  the  night  talking.  Walk  easy.  It's  a  rough 
way  from  this  on  to  my  houseen,  and  there's  stones 
on  it  would  break  the  leg  of  a  bullock,  let  alone  yours 
or  mine." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

/TpHEY  reached  the  cabin.    Old  O'Flaherty  fumbled 

_£_  at  the  latch  and  opened  the  door.  Inside,  the 
place  was  almost  quite  dark.  A  few  sparks  glowed 
faintly  on  the  hearth.  The  small  square  window 
looked  like  a  grey  patch  on  the  black  wall.  Meldon 
paused  at  the  threshold,  unwilling  to  advance  without 
light  towards  unknown  furniture,  over  a  pitted  and 
hilly  earthen  floor.  O'Flaherty  disappeared  into  a 
corner  and  could  be  heard  breaking  sticks.  The 
fragments  were  flung  on  the  hearth.  The  old  man 
went  down  on  his  knees  and  blew  the  embers. 

"  I  have  the  end  of  a  candle  on  the  dresser  beyond," 
he  said,  "  if  I  could  come  by  as  much  fire  as  would 
light  it" 

"  If  that's  what  you're  after,"  said  Meldon,  "  I  have 
a  box  of  matches  in  my  pocket." 

He  drew  out  the  box  and  struck  one.  O'Flaherty 
pounced  on  his  candle,  lit  it,  and  set  it  on  the  stone 
seat  which  filled  an  angle  of  the  wide  hearth. 

"  Let  you  give  me  a  hand  now,  and  we'll  shift  the 
dresser,"  he  said.  "  I  could  do  it  myself,  but  it'll  be 
done  quicker  if  you  take  the  near  end  of  it." 

Meldon  caught  hold  of  the  dresser  and  pulled  it 
over  to  the  far  side  of  the  room.  O'Flaherty  stood  on 

256 


SPANISH  GOLD 


257 


a  wooden  stool  and  took  down  a  shovel  which  rested 
among  the  rafters  of  the  roof.  He  scooped  away 
loose  earth  from  the  place  where  the  dresser  had 
stood.  At  the  depth  of  about  an  inch  he  came  upon  a 
number  of  boards  laid  close  together.  He  prized  up 
one  of  them  with  the  edge  of  the  shovel  and  lifted  the 
others  out.  A  hole  lay  open.  Meldon  peered  into  it 
but  could  see  nothing.  He  fumbled  for  his  matches. 
O'Flaherty  fetched  the  candle  from  the  stone  seat  in 
the  hearth.  He  lay  flat  and,  stretching  his  hand  into 
the  hole,  held  the  candle  far  down.  Meldon  saw  piles 
of  coins  standing  in  neat  rows.  He,  too,  lay  down  on 
the  floor,  reached  into  the  hole,  and,  touching  them 
with  his  fingers,  counted  the  piles.  There  were 
ninety-eight  of  them.  He  lifted  one  and  counted  the 
coins  in  it.  There  were  twenty. 

"  Hold  the  candle  here,"  he  said. 

Thomas  O'Flaherty,  rising  to  his  knees,  set  the 
candle  on  the  floor  at  the  edge  of  the  hole. 

"  They're  all  gold,  every  single  one  of  them,"  said 
Meldon.  "  If  those  were  no  more  than  just  ordinary 
sovereigns  you'd  have  pretty  near  two  thousand 
pounds.  But  by  the  weight  of  them  I'd  say  that 
they're  worth  two  or  three  sovereigns  each.  You're  a 
rich  man,  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  There  may  be 
richer  men  in  the  province  of  Connacht,  but  I  don't 
believe  there's  one  with  the  same  command  of  ready 
cash.  I  declare  to  goodness,  if  it  wasn't  for  Gladys 
Muriel,  I'd  wait  a  few  years  on  the  chance  of  getting 
Mary  Kate.  However  did  you  get  all  that  money  up 
out  of  the  cave  ?  " 

"  I  did  have  a  bit  of  rope  fixed  to  a  big  stone  the 
way  it  wouldn't  shift  on  me  and  me  going  up  and 


258  SPANISH  GOLD 

down.  The  lids  of  the  iron  boxes  gave  me  my 
'nough  of  work  before  I  got  them  lifted,  and  them 
rusty  with  the  damp  there  was  in  it.  But,  with  the 
help  of  God,  I  got  them  lifted  at  the  latter  end.  Then 
I'd  be  putting  the  gold  into  a  bit  of  a  bag  that  I  had 
on  me.  It  was  very  little  I  could  take  at  the  one  time, 
for  it  would  surprise  you  how  heavy  it  is,  and  me 
having  to  climb  the  rope  and  not  one  at  the  top  to 
give  me  a  hand.  Maybe  it  wouldn't  be  more  than 
once  in  the  day  and  often  not  that  much  itself  that  I'd 
go  down.  I  did  be  in  dread  that  some  of  the  boys 
would  discover  what  I  was  after.  From  first  to  last  I 
wasn't  less  than  a  whole  year  at  the  job." 

"You  would  be  all  that,"  said  Meldon.  "It's  a 
mortal  pity  I  wasn't  here  at  the  time.  We'd  have 
rigged  up  some  sort  of  pulley  at  the  top  of  the  hole, 
and  with  me  filling  at  the  bottom  and  you  taking  the 
stuff  at  the  top  we'd  have  had  it  out  in  a  single  day. 
But  there's  no  use  talking  about  that  now.  The 
gold's  here,  right  enough,  however  you  got  it." 

Meldon  turned  the  coins  over  and  over  in  his  hand, 
held  one  to  the  light  and  then  another,  felt  the  weight 
of  them  singly  and  then  two  or  three  at  a  time. 

"What  put  you  on  to  it?"  he  said.  "What  made 
you  think  of  looking  in  that  hole  ?  " 

"  Sure  the  people  always  had  it  that  there  was  a  deal 
of  gold  on  the  island  somewhere.  My  father  knew  it 
and  his  father  before  him,  and  everybody  had  heard 
tell  of  it.  Long  ago  they  did  be  searching  for  it.  There 
was  two  of  the  gentry  once  came  to  look  after  it.  But 
people  got  tired,  finding  nothing,  and  at  the  latter  end 
they  gave  it  up.  It's  maybe  a  hundred  years  since 
anybody  laid  down  his  mind  to  look  for  it.  But. there 


SPANISH  GOLD  259 

was  one  place  that  I  knew  nobody  ever  searched,  and 
that  was  the  Poll-na-phuca." 

"Why  not?" 

"  They'd  be  in  dread  on  account  of  them  that  do  be 
in  it." 

"  Them  that — oh,  the  fairies,  of  course !  " 

"  Well,  I  used  to  be  turning  it  over  and  over  in  my 
mind  and  me  no  more  than  a  gossure.  And  I  said  to 
myself  that  seeing  the  gold  was  somewhere  and  that 
there  was  just  one  place  that  nobody  would  be  caring 
to  look  for  it,  it  was  there  it  must  surely  be.  It  came 
into  my  mind,  too,  that  the  like  of  them  that  hid  it  first 
wouldn't  be  in  dread  of  who  might  be  in  the  hole  or 
who  might  not.  I've  heard  them  say  that  the  gentry 
doesn't  give  much  heed  to  them  tales.  Indeed,  they 
might  choose  out  the  Poll-na-phuca  just  by  reason  of 
there  being  many  another  that  wouldn't  go  next  or 
nigh  it." 

"  That  was  a  fine  piece  of  deductive  reasoning,"  said 
Meldon.  "  I  couldn't  have  argued  the  thing  out  better 
myself.  I  say,  Tom — you  won't  mind  my  calling  you 
Tom,  will  you?  I'll  say  Pat  if  you  like,  but  your 
whole  name  is  too  long  for  frequent  use — the  wind's 
rising.  Did  you  hear  that  last  gust?  It's  going  to  be 
a  nasty  night." 

"It  was  long  enough,"  said  old  O'Flaherty,  shading 
the  candle  from  the  draught,  "before  I  could  get  my 
mind  laid  down  to  go  into  the  Poll-na-phuca.  I'd  be 
saying  to  myself  in  the  daytime  that  I'd  go  and  think- 
ing maybe  I'd  better  not  when  it  was  dark.  Or  it 
would  be  the  storms  in  the  winter  and  the  noises 
there'd  be  coming  out  of  it  would  make  me  think  it 
would  be  wiser  to  leave  that  sort  of  people  to  them- 


260  SPANISH  GOLD 

Selves  and  not  be  meddling  with  them.  But  in  the 
latter  end,  when  I  was  getting  used  to  living  near  it  and 
no  harm  coming  to  me,  I  went  down." 

"  And  did  ever  you  come  across  a  leprachaun  or 
anything  of  that  sort?  Tell  me  the  truth  now." 

"  I  might,  then.  Believe  you  me  there's  queer 
things  that  nobody,  not  the  clergy  themselves,  knows 
about,  down  in  the  depths  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
where  the  sun  doesn't  be  shining.  There's  queer 
things  there." 

"  Higginbotham  says  there's  pliocene  clay." 

"  There  might.  I  wouldn't  say  but  there  is.  The 
likes  of  him  would  surely  know.  But  there's  more." 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  didn't  come 
across  anything  of  the  sort  myself;  but  then  I  was 
only  there  once,  and  besides,  I'm  not  the  sort  of  man 
that  a  fairy  would  come  near.  But  we  can't  afford  to 
spend  the  night  in  gossiping.  Are  you  still  bent 
on  my  taking  the  gold  away  with  me  in  the  yacht  ?  " 

"  I  am." 

"  It'll  take  the  best  part  of  the  night  to  get  it  on 
board.  For  one  thing  I'm  bound  to  waken  Major 
Kent  the  first  trip  and  then  I'll  have  to  give  him  some 
sort  of  an  explanation  of  what  I'm  doing.  You  don't 
know  the  Major  and  so  you  can  hardly  realise  the 
length  of  time  it  takes  to  explain  anything  to  him. 
He'll  want  to  argue,  and  he's  always  in  a  bad  temper 
when  you  first  wake  him.  The  morning  will  hardly 
see  us  through  the  job.  Luckily  the  only  person  with 
any  sort  of  right  to  interfere  is  Higginbotham.  He's 
frightfully  officious,  and  you  never  can  tell  what  his 
Board  might  regard  as  coming  under  the  head  of 
mining  rights.  But  it's  easy  to  put  Higginbotham  off 


SPANISH  GOLD  261 

the  scent.  Do  you  happen  to  have  that  bag  anywhere 
about,  the  one  you  used  to  take  down  into  the  cave  ?  " 

O'Flaherty  rose,  climbed  on  his  stool  again,  and 
grubbed  among  some  dirty  sails  and  nets  which  hung 
on  a  beam  above  the  hearth.  He  descended  with  an 
ancient  flour  sack  in  his  hand. 

"  That's  not  such  a  small  bag  as  you  led  me  to 
believe,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  wouldn't  care  to  go  off  in 
out  punt  with  that  bag  full  of  gold.  You  may  have 
noticed  that  ours  is  one  of  those  patent  collapsible 
punts,  and  you  have  to  be  uncommonly  careful  what 
you  take  in  them.  The  best  thing  we  can  do  is  put  a 
few  hundred  of  your  doubloons  in  the  bottom  of  the 
sack,  ferry  them  off,  and  then  come  back  for  more. 
My  goodness,  listen  to  that!  There  must  be  half  a 
gale  of  wind  blowing  this  minute  and  that  won't  make 
the  job  of  navigating  the  Major's  beastly  hat  of  a  punt 
any  easier.  Still,  if  nothing  else  will  do  you  except  to 

get  the  stuff  on  to  the  Spindrift,  we'll Hallo! 

what  on  earth  are  you  doing  with  the  candle?  " 

Old  O'Flaherty  rose  suddenly  to  his  knees  as  Meldon 
spoke,  held  the  light  aloft,  gave  an  inarticulate  cry, 
and  then  dropped  the  candle.  As  he  did  so  Meldon 
was  struck  on  the  head  from  behind  and  rolled  over 
senseless  on  the  floor. 

"I've  settled  the  curate,"  said  Sir  Giles  Buckley. 
"  Have  you  got  a  hold  of  the  old  man  ?  " 

Euseby  Langton  had  not  got  hold  of  O'Flaherty. 
His  nerve  had  failed  him  at  the  moment  of  assault  and 
he  stood  helpless  in  the  door.  Thomas  O'Flaherty 
realised  his  position  at  once.  He  rose  from  his  knees 
and  began  to  move  silently  through  the  hut.  It  was 
quite  dark. 


262  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  No,"  said  Langton.     "  I— I  missed  him." 

"  Damn  it ! "  said  Sir  Giles ;  "  we  must  get  him  or 
he'll  raise  hell  all  over  the  island.  I  can't  see  a 
stim." 

O'Flaherty  guessed  from  the  sound  of  his  voice  that 
Langton  was  in  the  door  and  that  his  way  of  escape 
was  barred.  He  moved  through  the  hut  in  the  hope 
that  Langton  might  be  tempted  to  pursue  him.  Sir 
Giles  felt  after  him  in  the  dark;  but  the  place,  familiar 
to  O'Flaherty,  was  strange  to  him. 

"  Stay  in  the  door,  Langton,"  he  cried.  "  Don't  let 
him  pass  you." 

He  struck  a  match  and  caught  sight  of  O'Flaherty 
standing  a  few  yards  in  front  of  him.  But  the  old 
man  was  ready  for  the  manoeuvre  and  had  his  wits 
about  him.  He  struck  at  the  match  with  his  hand  and 
extinguished  it.  Sir  Giles  made  an  effort  to  grapple 
him,  failed,  and  dropped  his  match-box.  O'Flaherty 
moved  away  from  him,  felt  the  shovel  with  his  feet, 
stooped  and  picked  it  up. 

"  Strike  a  match,  Langton,"  said  Sir  Giles. 

The  moment  the  first  sparkle  of  light  shone 
O'Flaherty  struck  at  Sir  Giles  with  the  shovel.  He 
brought  the  flat  of  the  blade  down  on  the  arm  which 
Sir  Giles  stretched  out  to  guard  his  head.  Then,  with 
a  call  to  Langton  for  help,  Sir  Giles  flung  himself  on 
the  old  man.  O'Flaherty  was  feeble,  but  he  fought 
desperately.  Sir  Giles's  right  arm  was  numbed  from 
the  blow  of  the  shovel.  He  called  again  for  help. 
Langton  seized  O'Flaherty  round  the  neck  and  pulled 
him  backwards.  Between  them  they  overpowered  the 
old  man  and  laid  him  on  the  floor.  They  had  come 
well  provided  with  what  they  were  likely  to  want 


SPANISH  GOLD  263 

Ropes  were  produced.  O'Flaherty  was  securely  bound 
and  gagged.  Sir  Giles  drew  a  candle  from  his  pocket 
and  lit  it. 

"  Now  for  the  curate,"  he  said.  "  I've  knocked  the 
senses  out  of  him  anyway.  It's  a  good  job  I  hit  hard. 
I  wouldn't  care  to  be  scrapping  in  the  dark  with  him. 
The  old  fellow  gave  me  enough  to  do,  and  you're 
nothing  but  a  damned  coward,  Langton.  Now  we'll 
tie  up  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Meldon  and  gag  him,  so  that  he 
won't  stir  even  if  he  comes  to.  When  there's  light 
enough  we'll  lower  the  two  of  them  into  the  cave 
and  leave  them  there." 

"  That'll  be  murder,"  said  Langton,  "  and  I  told  you 
I'd  have  nothing  to  do  with  murder." 

"  Don't  be  an  infernal  ass.  There's  no  murder. 
Some  fool  or  other  will  find  them  to-morrow  or  the 
day  after,  and  they'll  be  alive  all  right.  We  must  get 
a  clear  start  out  of  this.  Don't  you  know  that  the 
steamer  would  overtake  us  at  once  if  she  started  after 
us?  And  she  will  if  those  two  fellows  are  found  and 
tell  their  story.  Come  and  give  me  a  hand." 

Meldon's  legs  were  tied  together.  His  hands  were 
lashed  to  his  sides.  A  gag  was  forced  into  his  mouth 
and  secured. 

"  N6w  we  have  him  safe,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  even  if  he 
does  come  to.  Let's  get  at  the  gold.  We've  no  time 
to  waste." 

Meldon's  head  was  a  hard  one.  Very  shortly  after 
he  was  bound  he  recovered  consciousness.  He  recog- 
nised Sir  Giles  and  Langton  and  saw  that  they  were 
stooping  over  the  hole  where  the  treasure  lay.  He 
saw  them  lifting  out  the  coins  and  putting  them  into 
a  leather  hand-bag  which  lay  beside  them  on  the  floor. 


264  SPANISH  GOLD 

He  could  recollect  nothing  of  what  had  happened,  but 
he  grasped  at  once  the  obvious  fact  that  old  O'Flaherty 
was  being  robbed.  He  struggled  at  the  ropes  which 
bound  his  hands  and  feet,  but  found  that  he  could  not 
stir  them.  The  gag  prevented  him  from  either  speak- 
ing or  crying.  One  form  of  activity  alone  remained 
possible  for  him.  He  rolled  across  the  floor  of 
the  hut. 

It  is  not  easy  to  roll  in  a  straight  line  towards  any 
given  object.  The  human  body,  like  a  biassed  bowl, 
has  a  tendency  to  turn  on  the  hips  as  on  an  axle,  and 
arrive  ultimately  somewhere  near  the  place  from  which 
it  started.  But  the  distance  which  Meldon  had  to 
travel  was  not  great.  He  succeeded,  after  convulsive 
efforts,  in  cannoning  with  some  force  against  Langton. 
Taken  completely  unawares,  Langton  toppled  forwards, 
extinguishing  the  candle  in  his  fall.  A  further  effort 
upset  the  bag  into  the  hole,  and  then  Meldon  followed 
it  and  fell,  doubled  up,  on  top  of  the  treasure. 

Sir  Giles  cursed  vehemently.  He  stood  up  in 
order  that  he  might  curse  with  better  emphasis.  As 
a  further  relief  to  his  feelings  he  kicked  Langton,  who 
still  sprawled  beside  the  hole.  Then  he  went  down 
on  his  hands  and  knees  and  felt  about  for  the  candle. 
The  search  drew  from  him  other  expressions  of 
annoyance.  Meldon,  though  his  position  in  the  hole 
was  extremely  uncomfortable,  found  a  good  deal  of 
pleasure  in  listening  to  Sir  Giles.  At  last  the  candle 
was  retrieved  and  lit  again. 

"I'd  better  knock  that  infernal  parson  on  the  head 
again,"  said  Sir  Giles.  "  It's  the  only  possible  way  of 
keeping  him  quiet." 

"  Don't;  you'll  most  likely  kill  him." 


SPANISH  GOLD  265 

"Nothing  would  kill  that  fellow.  He  wouldn't  die 
if  you  hanged  him." 

"  I  won't  have  you  smashing  his  skull  anyway. 
Can't  you  take  him  outside  the  door  and  leave  him 
there?" 

Meldon  was  pulled  out  of  the  hole,  dragged  across 
the  floor  of  the  hut,  and  deposited  on  a  bank  of  grass 
opposite  the  door.  It  was  raining  heavily. 

"  Cool  yourself  there  awhile,"  said  Sir  Giles.  "  When 
it's  light  enough  I'm  going  to  drop  you  down  into 
the  cave  that  the  treasure  came  out  of.  You  and  that 
damned  old  ragman  can  lie  at  the  bottom  of  it  and 
look  at  each  other  till  somebody  comes  to  rescue 
you." 

Meldon  received  a  good  many  bruises  and  scratches, 
but  he  retained  his  consciousness.  He  knew  where 
he  was.  Below  him  was  the  end  of  the  bohireen  and 
the  door  of  the  hut.  His  mind  was  filled  with  a 
vehement  rage  against  Sir  Giles.  He  was  totally 
indifferent  to  anything  that  might  happen  to  himself. 
He  desired  intensely  to  do  something  which  would 
obstruct,  annoy,  and,  if  possible,  injure  the  man  whom 
he  regarded  as  a  personal  enemy.  He  hit  upon  a  plan 
which  seemed  hopeful. 

He  writhed  to  and  fro  until  he  succeeded  in  rolling 
down  the  bank  to  the  bohireen.  By  much  wriggling 
he  arranged  himself  across  the  path.  His  head  was 
on  the  grass  at  one  side,  his  feet  on  the  grass  at  the 
other.  He  lay  on  his  side  with  his  face  towards  the 
door  of  the  hut.  He  was  extremely  uncomfortable. 
'A  stream  of  water  was  running  down  the  stony  track. 
His  body  dammed  it,  and  it  mounted  up  against  him, 
soaking  him  through.  The  wind  blew  more  water 


266  SPANISH  GOLD 

against  the  part  of  his  clothes  which  the  stream  did 
not  reach.  A  sharp-pointed  stone  stuck  into  his  right 
shoulder.  His  face  was  cut  and  plastered  with  mud. 
His  body  seemed  to  be  bruised  all  over.  His  head 
ached  violently.  But  all  this  mattered  nothing  to 
him  for  the  moment.  His  faculties  were  absorbed 
in  watching  the  door  of  the  hut. 

Sir  Giles  and  Langton  appeared.  They  carried 
between  them  the  leather  bag,  full  almost  to  the 
bursting-point.  Langton  held  the  candle  in  one 
hand,  but  it  was  almost  immediately  extinguished  by 
a  gust  of  wind.  Their  eyes  were  not  yet  accustomed 
to  the  darkness.  They  took  the  first  few  steps 
cautiously.  Meldon  turned  over  on  his  .  face  and 
waited,  lying  quite  flat.  He  felt  a  foot  touch  him. 
He  drew  his  knees  up  under  him  and  arched  his  back 
Suddenly.  The  stratagem  was  entirely  successful.  Sir 
Giles  pitched  forward  and  fell,  dragging  the  bag  from 
Langton's  hands.  It  burst  open  and  the  contents  were 
scattered  broadcast  over  the  muddy  lane.  Meldon, 
highly  delighted,  waited  for  the  volley  of  oaths  which 
was  to  be  expected.  He  was  disappointed.  Sir  Giles 
rose  in  silence.  His  anger  this  time  was  too  fierce  for 
blasphemy.  He  stood  over  Meldon  and  kicked  him 
savagely  on  arms  and  legs  and  body.  He  was  wearing 
rubber-soled  yachting  shoes,  and  his  vengeance  was 
not  as  ferocious  as  it  looked.  Missing  Meldon  once 
or  twice  owing  to  the  darkness  and  his  rage,  he 
kicked  stones  and  hurt  his  own  toes  greatly.  Langton, 
who  failed  to  realise  the  feebleness  of  the  assault, 
protested. 

"Drop  that.  Drop  it,  I  say.  Do  you  want  to  let 
yourself  and  me  in  for  being  hanged?  If  you  leave 


SPANISH  GOLD  267 

the  man  in  the  middle  of  the  path  you've  no  one  to 
blame  but  yourself  when  you  trip  over  him.  What's 
the  use  of  behaving  like  a  madman  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  leave  him  here.     He  crawled  here  himself." 

"  Rot,"  said  Langton.    "  He  couldn't  crawl." 

"  I'll  put  him  somewhere  this  time  that  he  won't  get 
away  from  so  easy." 

He  gripped  Meldon  by  the  feet  and  hauled  him  up 
the  bank.  He  dragged  him  along  the  grass  till  he 
came  to  a  wall.  He  called  Langton  to  his  assistance 
and  between  them  they  lifted  Meldon  over  it  and 
deposited  him  in  a  ditch  at  the  far  side. 

"  Get  back  over  that  if  you  can,"  said  Sir  Giles. 

He  kicked  Meldon  again.  "  So  far,"  he  said,  "  I've 
just  had  one  solid  piece  of  satisfaction  this  evening. 
I've  stopped  your  talking  with  that  gag.  If  I  did  right 
I'd  cut  your  tongue  out  now  I  have  you  tied,  so  that 
you'd  never  be  able  to  talk  again." 

Meldon  listened.  It  annoyed  him  very  much  that 
he  could  not  speak.  He  wanted  to  refer  Sir  Giles  to 
the  case,  discussed  by  the  historian  Gibbon,  of  certain 
Christian  martyrs,  who  spoke  fluently  and  well  after 
being  deprived  of  their  tongues  by  an  executioner. 
He  also  wanted  to  say,  that  so  far,  working  against 
long  odds,  he  had  got  the  better  of  the  struggle  and 
had  annoyed  Sir  Giles  more  than  Sir  Giles  had  annoyed 
him.  He  tried  to  give  expression  to  his  feelings  by 
winking  first  with  one  eye  and  then  with  the  other. 
But  it  was  so  dark  that  the  winks  could  not  be  seen, 
and  Sir  Giles  departed  without  knowing  what  Meldon 
thought  of  him. 


CHAPTER  XX 

SIR  GILES  and  Langton  went  back  to  the  lane  and 
set  about  the  task  of  hunting  for  the  gold  which 
had  been  scattered.  They  found  the  bag  at  once  and 
in  a  corner  of  it  a  couple  of  dozen  coins.  The  rest 
were  strewed  about  among  the  mud,  the  pools,  the 
running  water,  and  the  loose  stones.  The  wind  tore 
across  the  island  in  violent  gusts.  The  rain  beat 
furiously  upon  them.  The  candle  which  Langton  had 
put  in  his  pocket  was  lighted  and  promptly  extinguished. 
Sir  Giles  made  a  kind  of  shelter  for  it  with  his  coat 
and  tried  to  keep  it  burning.  He  succeeded  for  a 
minute  or  two.  Then  a  gust  of  wind  whirled  over  the 
coat  and  the  candle  was  blown  out  again. 

"  Let's  give  it  up,"  said  Langton.  "  Let's  go  back 
and  get  another  load." 

"  I  will  not  give  it  up.  Do  you  suppose  I'm  going 
to  leave  a  small  fortune  lying  in  this  lane  when  I  might 
have  it  for  the  gathering?  Go  back  to  the  hut  and 
try  if  you  can  find  any  kind  of  a  lantern." 

Langton  searched  in  vain,  for  old  O'Flaherty  owned 
no  lantern.  He  returned  to  report  his  ill-success. 

"  I'll  go  down  to  the  yacht,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  and  get 
one  of  her  lamps.  You  wait  for  me  here  and  pick  up 
what  you  can  in  the  meanwhile." 

268 


SPANISH  GOLD 


269 


But  Langton  had  no  taste  for  crawling  about  on  his 
hands  and  knees  feeling  for  coins  in  mud  and  water. 
He  was  chilled  and  dispirited.  When  Sir  Giles  left 
him  he  stumbled  back  into  the  hut,  wrung  the  water 
out  of  his  coat,  and  waited  in  shelter.  In  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  Sir  Giles  returned  with  the  Aureole's 
riding  light  in  his  hand.  The  search  began  again. 
After  half  an  hour's  hard  work  the  bag  was  nearly 
filled,  and,  carrying  it  between  them,  the  two  men  set 
out  for  the  Aureole. 

"Two  more  trips  will  be  enough,"  said  Sir  Giles. 
"  If  we  haven't  got  it  all  we  shall  have  to  leave  the  rest 
behind  us.  Thank  the  gods,  the  rain  is  stopping. 
The  wind  will  go  down  now.  If  it  doesn't,  Langton, 
you  may  say  your  prayers.  We'd  never  fetch  Ballymoy 
or  anywhere  else  in  this  gale." 

Meldon  lay  in  his  ditch.  The  ropes  with  which  he 
was  bound  began  to  cut  into  his  flesh.  He  was  more 
bruised  than  ever.  But  he  found  a  real  satisfaction  in 
picturing  to  himself  Sir  Giles  as  he  searched  for  the 
coins  in  the  dark.  He  was  determined  to  try  and  free 
himself.  A  few  efforts  convinced  him  that  he  could 
do  nothing  with  the  ropes  on  his  arms  and  legs.  The 
gag  seemed  more  hopeful.  It  was  a  woollen  scarf. 
It  was  forced  between  his  teeth,  pulled  tight  from 
behind  so  as  to  drag  his  lips  out  into  a  kind  of  grin 
and  knotted  firmly  at  the  back  of  his  neck.  He  tried 
to  gnaw  it  through  with  his  teeth,  but  only  succeeded 
in  biting  the  insides  of  his  cheeks  until  they  bled.  He! 
wriggled  along  the  ditch  and  got  the  side  of  his  head 
against  a  stone  with  a  sharp  edge.  He  worked  his 
head  up  and  down,  rubbing  the  woollen  gag  against 
the  stone.  He  hoped  in  this  way  to  wear  the  stuflS 


270  SPANISH  GOLD: 

through.  The  work  was  tedious  and  painful.  But  he 
persevered  and  in  the  end  reaped  his  reward.  The 
last  strands  of  the  wool  parted.  His  mouth  was  free. 

He  looked  round  him  and  took  stock  of  his  position. 
At  first  he  could  see  nothing  but  the  stone  wall,  the 
grassy  side  of  the  ditch,  and  the  sky.  He  noticed  that 
it  was  beginning  to  get  light.  The  rain  had  ceased. 
The  clouds  were  being  blown  apart.  Meldon  guessed 
that  it  must  be  nearly  three  o'clock.  He  remembered 
that  Sir  Giles  intended  to  lower  him  into  the  Poll-na- 
phuca  as  soon  as  there  was  light  enough.  He  had  no 
intention  of  being  buried  alive  there  if  he  could  help 
it.  He  set  to  work  to  writhe  and  wriggle  himself  out 
of  the  ditch.  He  found  himself  at  last  in  the  field 
below  O'Flaherty's  house.  He  had  a  clear  view  of 
the  bay  and  saw  Sir  Giles  rowing  out  to  the  Aureole. 
The  light  increased  and  he  noticed  with  great  satisfac- 
tion that  there  was  a  heavy  sea  running  outside  the 
bay.  He  reflected  that  it  would  be  totally  impossible 
for  the  Aureole  to  leave  her  sheltered  anchorage. 
But  the  wind  was  falling.  In  a  couple  of  hours  a 
venturous  man  might  attempt  to  run  for  the  mainland 
with  three  or  four  reefs  tied  down  in  his  sail. 

Sir  Giles  and  Langton  left  the  yacht  again  and 
pulled  for  the  pier.  Meldon  decided  that  they  must 
still  have  another  load  of  treasure  to  ship.  They  had, 
as  he  calculated,  an  hour  and  a  half's  work  before 
them.  He  saw  below  him,  two  fields  off,  the  house  in 
which  Mary  Kate  and  her  parents  lived.  He  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  must  get  near  enough  to  waken 
somebody  in  it  before  Sir  Giles  came  to  him  again. 
There  was  only  one  possible  way  of  getting  there. 
He  must  roll  down  the  hill. 


SPANISH  GOLD  271 

He  made  up  his  mind  to  act  at  once.  Having  the 
use  of  his  mouth  he  shouted  a  word  of  encouragement 
to  Thomas  O'Flaherty  before  he  started: — 

"Hullo!  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat!  Hullo!  I 
expect  you're  gagged  and  tied  somewhere  and  can't 
answer.  But  I've  got  the  beastly  thing  worked  out 
of  my  mouth  and  I'm  going  to  get  the  better  of  those 
two  blackguards  yet.  It'll  all  depend  on  my  being 
able  to  get  hold  of  Mary  Kate.  Goodbye.  I'll  see 
that  this  business  pans  out  all  right  in  the  end." 

The  field  in  which  he  lay  sloped  even  more  steeply 
than  most  fields  in  the  island.  At  the  bottom  of  it 
was  a  wall  and  in  the  middle  of  the  wall  a  gap. 
Beyond  the  gap  was  another  steep  field  and  at  the 
bottom  of  it  was  the  house.  Meldon  aimed  for  the 
gap.  He  congratulated  himself  that  Higginbotham's 
philanthropic  plans  for  the  bettering  of  the  islanders' 
system  of  land  tenure  had  not  yet  been  carried  out. 
In  the  fences  that  were  to  be  erected  there  would  not 
be  gaps  and  no  man  could  roll  over  a  six-foot 
Congested  Districts  Board  bank. 

He  wriggled  himself  into  position  and  started 
rolling  down  the  hill.  He  advanced  rapidly  for  a  few 
yards  and  then  came  to  a  dead  stop,  lying  up  and 
down  the  hill.  He  wriggled  again,  rolled  again,  and 
was  again  brought  up  short  by  the  impossibility  of 
keeping  his  body  parallel  to  the  slope  of  the  hill. 
Still  he  advanced  and  at  length  actually  arrived  at 
the  gap.  He  lay  still,  giddy  and  breathless.  He  saw 
Sir  Giles  and  Langton  go  into  the  hut.  He  started,  as 
soon  as  he  could,  to  roll  across  the  second  field. 
There  were  four  bullocks  in  it  which  were  lying 
together  in  a  group  when  Meldon  rolled  suddenly 


272  SPANISH  GOLD 

among  them.  They  were  startled,  struggled  to  their 
feet  and  galloped  oil  in  four  different  directions. 
After  a  while  curiosity  conquered  their  terror.  They 
returned  cautiously  and  slowly,  sniffing  and  pawing, 
starting  now  and  then  in  fresh  alarm.  Convinced  at 
last  that  Meldon  was  harmless  they  gathered  close 
round  him  and  eyed  him  with  wonder.  He  lay  quite 
still  because  he  could  see  Sir  Giles  and  Langton 
coming  out  of  the  hut  and  suspected  that  they  would 
search  for  him.  He  realised  that  the  cattle  hid  him 
effectually. 

Having  lowered  O'Flaherty  into  the  cave  Sir  Giles 
and  Langton  went  to  the  ditch  in  which  they  had 
left  Meldon.  They  were  surprised  to  find  that  he  had 
disappeared. 

"  Can  he  have  got  loose  ?  "  said  Langton  nervously. 

"If  he'd  got  so  much  as  his  tongue  loose,"  said  Sir 
Giles,  "  he'd  have  raised  the  hell  of  a  row  by  this  time. 
That  fellow  would  no  more  keep  quiet  than  a  corn- 
crake would  stop  making  the  vile  row  it  does  make  in 
the  middle  of  the  night  He  can't  have  gone  far.  We 
must  look  for  him." 

"  No.  Let's  get  out  of  this  at  once.  The  people 
will  be  awake  and  about  soon." 

"We  ought  to  have  been  off  two  hours  ago,"  said 
Sir  Giles.  "  Only  for  that  cursed  parson  we  would 
have  been.  First  we  had  to  waste  the  time  dragging  him 
out  of  the  hut,  and  then  his  infernal  practical  jokes 
cost  us  another  hour  and  a  half.  We'll  have  to  leave 
him  now  and  chance  it.  We  can  only  hope  he's  lying 
dead  somewhere." 

Meldon  watched  them  tramp  down  the  bohireen 
and  realised  that  he  was  safe.  He  understood  also 


SPANISH  GOLD  273 

that  he  had  very  little  time  to  spare.    In  half  an  hour 
Sir  Giles  would  be  on  board  the  yacht  again. 

"  He'll  have  to  tie  down  three  reefs,"  said  Meldon 
to  the  nearest  bullock,  "  if  he  doesn't  want  to  be 
drowned.  And  that'll  take  him  some  time  with 
nobody  but  Langton  to  help  him." 

The  remark  caused  the  bullocks  to  edge  away  a 
little.  Meldon  started  rolling  again  towards  the 
cottage.  Now  and  then  as  he  drew  nearer  to  it  he 
shouted.  At  length,  when  he  had  got  within  about 
twenty  yards  of  it  the  door  opened  and  Mary  Kate 
peered  out.  Meldon  shouted  to  her: — 

"  Mary  Kate !  I  say,  Mary  Kate !  come  here  as 
quick  as  you  can." 

The  child  approached  him  cautiously.  Like  the 
bullocks,  she  had  never  before  seen  anything  exactly 
like  Meldon  as  he  lay  in  the  field. 

"  Mary  Kate,"  he  said,  in  tones  meant  to  be  re- 
assuring, "  do  you  go  to  bed  in  your  clothes  ?  " 

The  question  was  reasonable.  The  child  was  dressed 
just  as  usual  in  her  red  petticoat  and  flannel  bodice. 

"I  do  not,"  said  Mary  Kate.  "I  dressed  myself 
when  I  heard  the  shouts  of  you." 

"  Very  well,  then.     Go  and  get  a  knife." 

"A  knife,  is  it?" 

"  It  is,"  said  Meldon.    "  A  knife." 

"What  sort  of  a  knife?" 

"  Any  sort  of  a  knife  you  like,  from  a  scythe  down 
to  a  lancet,  will  do.  In  fact,  I  dare  say  we  could 
manage  with  your  mother's  scissors.  But  run  now 
and  get  something  that  will  cut." 

Mary  Kate  went  back  into  the  house  and  returned 
with  a  sickle. 


274  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  My  da  will  be  wanting  the  scythe  to-day,"  she 
said,  "  but  if  this  will  do  you,  you  can  have  the  loan 
of  it." 

"  I  don't  want  the  loan  of  it.  I  want  you  to  cut  the 
rope  that's  round  my  arms,  and  be  quick  about  it." 

"  The  Lord  save  us  and  help  us !  Is  it  tied  you 
are  ?  Who's  after  doing  the  like  of  that  to  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  tied.  But  if  you'd  stop  standing  there 
staring  like  a  stuck  pig,  and  come  over  here  with  the 
sickle,  I'd  soon  be  loose." 

Mary  Kate  approached  him  grinning. 

"  Don't  grin,"  said  Meldon.  "  I've  said  that  to  you 
before.  Look  here,  Mary  Kate,  I've  been  cracking 
you  up  all  over  the  island  the  last  three  days  for  one 
of  the  most  intelligent  children  I  ever  met.  It  was 
only  last  night  I  offered  your  grandfather  to  marry 
you  if  he  liked.  But  I'll  not  marry  you.  And  I'll 
never  say  another  good  word  for  you,  and  what's  more 
I'll  take  the  half-crown  and  the  three  sixpences  away 
from  you  unless  you  come  here  and  cut  the  rope." 

"  You  couldn't,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

But  the  threat  produced  its  effect  on  her.  She 
stopped  grinning  and  began  sawing  at  the  rope.  The 
sickle  was  blunt  but  Mary  Kate  worked  vigorously. 
One  strand  after  another  parted.  Meldon  got  his 
arms  free. 

"  Give  me  the  sickle,"  he  said. 

His  hands  were  numb  and  he  was  obliged  to  rub 
them  up  and  down  against  his  legs  before  he  could 
take  a  firm  grip  of  it.  At  last  he  managed  to  hold  it, 
and  set  to  work  at  the  rope  that  bound  his  ankles. 

"  Mary  Kate,"  he  said,  "  go  back  to  your  da.  Is  he 
in  bed?" 


SPANISH  GOLD  275 

"  He  might,  then." 

"  Well,  if  he  is,  get  him  out  and  tell  him  to  go  up  to 
the  Poll-na-phuca  with  a  rope  and  a  ladder,  and  he'll 
find  your  grandda  at  the  bottom  of  it  if  he  isn't  dead." 

"  The  Lord  save  us !  They've  took  him  at  the 
latter  end." 

"  Don't,"  said  Meldon,  "  get  any  rotten  idea  about 
fairies  into  your  head.  This  isn't  a  fairy  matter  at 
all.  Tell  your  father  that  if  he  doesn't  go  at  once 
the  old  man  will  be  dead,  and  as  sure  as  ever  he  is 
I'll  have  your  father  hanged  for  murdering  him.  Do 
you  understand  me  now  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  Mary  Kate. 

Meldon  found  it  difficult  to  stand,  and  was  only 
able  to  totter  down  towards  the  pier.  He  saw  Sir  Giles 
and  Langton  reach  the  Aureole  and  board  her.  He 
quickened  his  pace  as  much  as  his  numbed,  stiff  limbs 
would  allow.  He  watched  the  mainsail  being  hoisted, 
and  noticed  that  the  gaff  was  pulled  little  more  than 
three-quarters  way  up  the  mast. 

"Thank  God!"  he  muttered,  "they  see  that  they 
must  tie  down  some  reefs.  I'll  do  them  yet." 

He  reached  the  pier.  Realising  that  the  water  was 
still  rough,  he  turned  from  the  Major's  punt  and  went 
along  the  beach  to  Jamesy  O'Flaherty's  curragh.  He 
launched  it  and  took  the  oars.  There  was  no  need  for 
him  to  row.  The  wind  drifted  him  rapidly  from  the 
shore.  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  were  tying  down  reef- 
points  in  the  flapping  mainsail  of  the  Aureole  and 
did  not  see  him.  He  headed  the  curragh  for  the 
Granuaile  and  climbed  on  to  the  steamer's  deck. 
Everybody  on  board  was  asleep.  As  the  readiest  way 
of  attracting  attention  Meldon  began  to  ring  the  bell 


276  SPANISH  GOLD 

which  hung  amidships  and  to  shout  "  Fire ! "  at  the  top 
of  his  voice. 

A  couple  of  sailors  ran  on  deck  and  stood  staring  at 
him.  Others  followed  them  and  began  to  ask  ques- 
tions. Meldon  continued  shouting  "  Fire ! "  and  ringing 
the  bell.  He  saw  that  Sir  Giles  had  stopped  tying  reef- 
points  and  was  hoisting  the  sail  as  quickly  as  he  could. 

The  Chief  Secretary  emerged  in  his  pyjamas.  Father 
Mulcrone  followed  him  in  a  white  cotton  night-shirt 
and  a  pair  of  trousers. 

"What's  on  fire?"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  wanted  to  wake  you 
up,  that's  all.  Send  a  boat  at  once  and  stop  that  yacht 
sailing." 

"Why?" 

Meldon's  mind  worked  quickly.  He  realised  that 
long  before  he  could  tell  the  story  of  the  treasure  and 
reply  to  all  the  questions  which  would  necessarily  be 
asked,  Sir  Giles  would  have  got  off.  Already  he  could 
see  that  the  Aureole's  jib  was  being  hoisted. 

"  Never  mind  why,"  he  said.     "  Do  it." 

"  I  can't  possibly,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  send  a 
boat  to  capture  a  gentleman's  yacht  without  rhyme 
or  reason.  It  would,  I  imagine,  amount  to  an  act  of 
piracy  on  the  high  seas.  I'd  do  a  good  deal  for  you, 
Mr.  Meldon;  but,  after  all,  I  have  to  recollect  that  I 
am  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland.  Just  fancy — the  House 
of  Commons — the  newspapers " 

Meldon  turned  without  listening  to  the  end  of  the 
apology.  He  appealed  to  the  crew  of  the  Granuaile. 

"Will  any  of  you  lower  a  boat  and  come  with  me?" 

The  men  hung  back,  some  grinning,  some  open- 
mouthed  in  blank  astonishment.  One  glance  at  them 


SPANISH  GOLD 

convinced  Meldon  of  the  hopelessness  of  his  appeal. 
He  looked  round  him  and  caught  sight  of  Father 
Mulcrone. 

"  Come  along,  Father  Mulcrone.  You're  the  only 
man  in  the  whole  crowd.  Hop  into  the  curragh  as 
quick  as  you  can." 

"  Give  me  time  to  tuck  my  night-shirt  into  my 
trousers  and  I'm  with  you,"  said  the  priest. 

He  crossed  the  deck  and  dropped  into  the  curragh. 
Meldon  followed  him.  Mr.  Willoughby  peered  over 
the  bulwarks  of  the  Granuaile. 

"  Stop !  "  he  shouted.    "  Wait !    Hold  on !  " 

The  curragh  shot  out  from  the  steamer's  side. 

"It's  no  good,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "they're 
off.  I  have  always  heard  that  the  clergy  did  queer 
things  here  in  the  West  of  Ireland,  but — I'm  hanged 
if  the  other  fellows  don't  seem  as  anxious  to  get  off  as 
the  priest  and  the  parson  are  to  catch  them." 

Sir  Giles  and  Langton,  one  at  each  side  of  the  winch 
in  the  bow  of  the  Aureole,  were  working  with  frenzied 
vigour  to  get  the  anchor  up. 

"  He  can't  cut  the  cable,"  said  Meldon  to  the  priest. 
"Thank  God,  it's  chain;  the  only  thing  on  board  the 
Aureole  that  isn't  absolutely  rotten." 

"  Pull  away,"  said  Father  Mulcrone.  "  She's  over 
her  anchor  now.  He'll  have  it  off  the  bottom  in  a 
minute." 

Meldon  pulled  hard. 

"  He  has  it,"  said  the  priest.  "  Now  he's  hauling  the 
jib  across  her  to  get  her  head  round.  Shove  the  stern 
of  the  curragh  in,  and  I'll  grab  her  before  she  gets 
way  on." 

The  Aureole's  head  paid  slowly  round  and  the  main- 


278  SPANISH  GOLD 

sail  began  to  draw.  In  obedience  to  a  violent  tug  at 
the  oars  the  curragh  spun  round  and  her  stern  struck 
the  yacht  amidships.  Father  Mulcrone  gripped  the 
weather  bulwarks  with  both  hands.  The  curragh 
swung  alongside  and  was  dragged  stern  first  through 
the  water  as  the  yacht  gathered  way.  Sir  Giles  left 
the  tiller,  sprang  across  the  deck  and  began  hammer- 
ing at  the  priest's  hands  with  his  clenched  fists. 

"Let  go,"  he  yelled;  "  let  go." 

He  stood  up  and  kicked  at  the  priest's  hands.  Then 
he  trampled  on  them,  still  yelling,  "  Let  go."  Father 
Mulcrone  held  on.  Sir  Giles  kicked  at  his  face,  holding 
on  to  the  weather  runner  to  preserve  his  balance. 

"  Let  go  or  I'll  brain  you." 

Father  Mulcrone  held  on.  He  was  not  the  kind  of 
man  who  lets  go.  Mr.  Willoughby  had  discovered 
this  about  him  when  dealing  with  the  question  of  seed 
potatoes  for  Inishmore.  Meldon  scrambled  on  board 
the  yacht.  He  came  on  Sir  Giles  from  behind,  seized 
him  by  the  shoulders,  swung  him  round,  rushed  him 
across  the  sharply  sloping  deck,  and  flung  him  over- 
board. 

"  Let  go  now,"  he  shouted  to  Father  Mulcrone, 
"  and  pick  up  the  fellow  I've  pitched  into  the  sea. 
He  may  be  able  to  swim  or  he  may  not.  In  any  case 
you'd  better  look  after  him.  I'll  manage  the  other 
man  and  the  yacht." 

Langton  sat  dazed  and  helpless  in  the  cockpit,  hold- 
ing the  end  of  the  mainsheet  in  his  hand.  Meldon 
snatched  it  from  him  and  seized  the  tiller. 

"  Loose  the  jib  sheet,"  he  shouted,  "  and  let  me  get 
her  sailing." 

Langton    did    not    stir.     Meldon    dropped    the    tiller, 


SPANISH  GOLD  279 

ran  forward  and  loosened  the  sheet  himself.  Then  he 
got  the  yacht  under  command  and  set  her  racing  to 
windward  across  the  bay. 

"  If  you  stir  hand  or  foot,"  he  said  to  Langton,  "  I'll 
pitch  you  into  the  sea.  I  don't  believe  you  can  swim, 
whatever  Sir  Giles  can  do.  Ready  about  now,  and 
mind  yourself." 

The  yacht  swung  round  and  flew  off  on  the  new 
tack.  The  half-reefed  mainsail  bellied  ridiculously. 
The  water  rushed  green  along  the  deck  and  foamed 
over  the  coaming  of  the  cockpit.  Meldon,  a  light 
of  triumph  on  his  face,  stood  up  and  looked  round 
him. 

Father  Mulcrone  had  Sir  Giles  in  tow  behind  the 
curragh  and  was  pulling  for  the  shore.  It  is  difficult 
to  get  a  swimmer  into  any  small  boat.  It  is  totally 
impossible  to  get  one  into  a  canvas  curragh.  The 
priest  had  gone  as  near  rescuing  Sir  Giles  as  was 
possible  under  the  circumstances.  A  boat  was  lowered 
hastily  from  the  Granuaile  and  the  Chief  Secretary, 
still  in  his  pyjamas,  got  into  her.  She  was  pulled 
towards  the  curragh.  A  small  group  of  islanders,  men 
and  women,  stood  on  the  end  of  the  pier.  Major 
Kent  was  awake  and  watched  the  exciting  scene  from 
the  deck  of  the  Spindrift.  The  Aureole  ran  under  her 
lee.  Meldon  threw  his  boat  up  into  the  wind  and 
hailed  the  Major. 

"Hullo!  Everything's  all  right.  I've  got  the  trea- 
sure safe  here.  I  always  said  I  would  and  I  have.  I'll 
send  Father  Mulcrone  off  for  you  as  soon  as  he's  done 
rescuing  Sir  Giles." 

The  Granuaile's  boat  reached  the  curragh.  Sir  Giles, 
spluttering  sea- water  and  curses,  was  hauled  on  board. 


28o  SPANISH  GOLD 

Meldon,  having  got  the  Aureole  on  the  third 'tack,  flew 
past  them  and  shouted — 

"  I  say,  Father  Mulcrone,  just  put  back  to  the 
Spindrift  and  bring  Major  Kent  ashore.  It's  a  pity  for 
him  to  be  missing  all  the  fun." 

A  little  group  of  men  came  down  the  hill  towards 
the  pier.  Among  them,  supported  by  his  son-in-law 
and  a  nephew,  was  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat.  In 
front  of  him,  dancing  with  delight  and  excitement,  her 
hair  blown  wild  with  the  wind,  went  Mary  Kate. 

Meldon's  tacks  became  shorter  as  he  neared  the: 
land.  The  men  on  the  pier  cheered  him  each  time  he 
passed  them.  He  waved  his  hand  in  response,  and, 
when  that  seemed  an  inadequate  acknowledgment  of 
the  enthusiasm,  took  Langton's  cap  and  waved  it. 
The  Granuaile's  boat  reached  the  pier  and  was  greeted 
with  more  cheers.  The  people  of  Inishgowlan,  not 
yet  aware  of  what  had  happened,  were  ready  to  cheer 
anybody.  The  Chief  Secretary,  stepping  daintily,  for 
he  was  barefooted,  went  on  shore.  Sir  Giles,  dripping 
and  dismal,  followed  him.  Meldon  made  his  last  tack 
and  beached  the  Aureole  close  alongside  the  pier. 
The  islanders  and  the  men  from  the  Granuaile's  boat 
ran  to  him  with  offers  of  help.  Meldon  gripped 
Langton  by  the  collar  of  the  coat  and  lifted  him  over 
the  side  of  the  yacht  into  the  water. 

"  Take  him,"  he  said,  "  and  stand  him  up  on  the 
pier  beside  the  other  blackguard." 

He  stepped  over  the  side  himself. 

"  I  expect  the  boat  has  a  hole  in  her,"  he  said  to 
three  of  the  men  who  still  waited.  "  You  had  better 
get  the  anchor  on  shore  and  make  it  fast.  If  she  goes 
adrift  on  us  now,  she'll  sink." 


SPANISH  GOLD  281 

He  waded  ashore,  went  to  the  pier  and  greeted 
Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Sorry  I  hustled  you  this  morning,"  he  said.  "  It 
seemed  the  only  thing  to  do  at  the  time." 

"I  don't  mind  being  hustled  in  the  least,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby.  "  Living  the  kind  of  quiet,  monoto- 
nous life  a  Chief  Secretary  does  live,  I'm  sure  a  hustle 
now  and  then  is  good  for  me." 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you  to  say  so.  Sure  you  don't 
mind  coming  ashore  in  your  pyjamas?" 

"  Not  a  bit.  I  rather  enjoy  it  for  a  change.  But 
I'd  greatly  like  to  know  what  this  is  all  about." 

"  I  never,"  said  Meldon,  "  saw  pyjamas  just  that 
particular  shade  of  pink  before.  Where  do  you  get 
them?" 

"  They're  Irish  manufacture,  if  that's  what  you're 
driving  at.  I  daren't  wear  anything  else  even  at  night. 
But  you  haven't  told  me  yet " 

"  Oh,  that's  a  long  story." 

"  I'm  sure  it  must  be.  Perhaps  you'd  rather  put  off 
telling  it  till  after  breakfast?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Meldon.  "  It's  not  so  long  as 
that.  Oh,  here's  Father  Mulcrone.  Didn't  you  get 
the  Major?" 

"  He  wouldn't  come  ashore,"  said  Father  Mulcrone. 
"  He  didn't  seem  to  care  about  meeting  the  Chief 
Secretary." 

"  Oh,  the  geological  survey,  I  suppose,"  said 
Meldon.  "  That's  all  over  and  done  with ;  isn't  it, 
Mr.  Willoughby?" 

"  Quite,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  It  lies  buried  in  a 
remote  past.  Things  move  so  rapidly  on  this  island 
that  the  affairs  of  yesterday  are  prehistoric  before  we 


282  SPANISH  GOLD 

are  dressed  this  morning.  Besides,  a  geological  survey 
is  nothing  compared  to  the — the  pragmatist  method 
by  which  you  roused  us  from  our  berths.  Why  did 
you  give  us  the  idea  that  something  was  on  fire  ?  " 

"  Because  I  wanted  you  to  prevent  Sir  Giles  Buckley 
from  sailing  off  in  the  Aureole." 

"  I  gathered  that  from  the  way  you  spoke  at  the 
time.  But  please  tell  me  why  you  wanted  to  stop 
him." 

Meldon  glanced  at  the  dripping  Sir  Giles.  He 
was  most  unwilling  to  tell  the  story  of  the  gold  which 
lay  in  the  Aureole's  cabin.  He  wondered  whether  Sir 
Giles  could  be  counted  on  to  back  up  a  version  of  the 
morning's  adventure  in  which  no  mention  of  the 
treasure  appeared. 

"  You  may  not  know  that  that  boat " — he  indicated 
the  Aureole  with  his  thumb — "  is  rotten.  Everything 
in  her  is  rotten  except  the  anchor  chain." 

"  Yes?  "  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Well,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  explains  what  you  want 
to  know,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  Not  quite.  I'm  stupid,  I  suppose ;  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact  it  doesn't  explain  anything  to  me." 

"Don't  you  see  that  if  Sir  Giles  had  gone  to  sea 
in  a  rotten  boat  with  the  wind  that's  blowing  to-day, 
he'd  have  been  drowned  to  a  certainty  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  you  wanted  to  save 
him  from  drowning." 

"  Him  and  his  friend." 

"But,  as  well  as  I  could  make  out,  you  flung  him 
into  the  sea." 

"Quite  so,"  said  Meldon.  "There  wasn't  anything 
else  to  do.  Was  there,  Father  Mulcrone  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD  283 

"  There  was  not,"  said  the  priest.  "  The  man  was 
dancing  on  my  knuckles  and  trying  to  kick  my  face." 

"  I  suppose  he  must  have  very  much  wanted  to  be 
drowned,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  go  as  far  as  that,"  said  Meldon. 
"  But  there's  no  use  taking  up  these  speculative 
questions.  Where's  Higginbotham? " 

"  He  must  be  asleep  still,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Dear  me,"  said  Meldon ;  "  that's  a  pity  now. 
Higginbotham  is  just  the  man  who  might  have  helped 
to  clear  things  up." 

"  I  don't  know  if  it  interests  any  of  you " — it  was 
Sir  Giles  Buckley  who  spoke — "  but  you're  listening 
to  a  pack  of  damned  lies." 

"  I  wish,"  said  Meldon,  "  that  you'd  try  and  break 
yourself  of  that  habit  of  swearing,  Sir  Giles.  I  think 
I've  mentioned  it  to  you  before." 

"Of  course,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  it's  no  business 
of  mine.  Still,  I  should  like  very  much  to  understand 
what  all  this  fuss  has  been  about.  Perhaps,  Father 
Mulcrone,  you  may  be  able  to  throw  a  little  light 
on  it." 

"Not  a  bit,"  said  the  priest.  "All  I  know  is  that 
the  gentleman  there  who  seems  to  be  catching  his 
death  of  cold " 

"  So  am  I,  for  that  matter,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"I  see,"  said  the  priest,  "that  the  men  have  come 
up  from  your  boat,  Mr.  Meldon.  They  seem  rather 
angry  about  something.  Old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  is 
talking  to  them  hot  and  strong  and  he's  pointing  this 
way.  Perhaps  we'd  better  go  somewhere  else  before 
entering  on  an  explanation." 

"Right,"   said   Meldon.     "  Higginbotham's  tin  house 


284  SPANISH  GOLD 

is  handy.  Let's  go  there.  It  would  do  Higginbotham 
good  to  be  made  to  get  out  of  bed." 

"  I  should  prefer  the  Granuaile  myself,"  said 
Mr.  Willoughby.  "  I'd  like  to  get  into  a  suit  of 
clothes." 

"  Right,"  said  Meldon.  "  It's  all  the  same  to  me.  In 
fact,  of  the  two  I  rather  prefer  the  Granuaile.  I  don't 
expect  Higginbotham  could  rise  to  much  in  the  way 
of  breakfast  for  this  party.  We'd  better  take  Sir  Giles 
and  Langton  with  us.  Those  fellows  at  the  other  end 
of  the  pier  are  looking  rather  nasty,  and  I  happen  to 
know  that  I'm  not  the  man  they  want  to  kill." 

"  It  can't  be  me,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  It  is  not  you,"  said  Meldon.  "  Nor  it's  not  Father 
Mulcrone.  It's  Sir  Giles.  That's  the  reason  I  said 
we  ought  to  take  him  with  us.  But  before  we  start 
I  think  you  should  make  the  men  a  speech,  Mr. 
Willoughby.  It  might  quiet  them  down." 

"A  speech!     Good  gracious!    What  about?" 

"  Oh,  anything.  The  University  question,  or  the 
intentions  of  the  Government  about  the  land,  or 
Devolution.  Yes,  Devolution  would  be  the  proper 
thing.  It  would  turn  their  minds  away  from  Sir  Giles 
and  Langton.  Try  them  with  Devolution." 

"Get  into  the  boat,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "I 
can't  stand  on  this  pier  and  make  a  speech  in  my 
pyjamas." 

"No?  Perhaps  not.  Well,  you  have  a  go  at  them, 
Father  Mulcrone.  You  won't?  I  suppose  we'd 
better  not  turn  on  Sir  Giles.  He  might  make  them 
more  irritable.  I'll  have  to  do  it  myself,  though  I 
must  say  it's  rather  hard  on  me.  I'm  the  one  of  the 
party  who  has  worke.d  hardest  during  the  night.  I 


SPANISH  GOLD  285 

can't  tell  you  how  trying  it  is  to  have  to  roll  about  in 
the  dark  with  your  hands  and  feet  tied." 

The  Chief  Secretary  and  Father  Mulcrone  remon- 
strated with  him  vigorously.  He  yielded  to  them  so 
far  as  to  forbear  making  a  speech,  but  he  insisted  on 
having  a  word  in  private  with  Mary  Kate. 

Taking  the  child  out  of  earshot,  he  said  to  her — 

"  Mary  Kate,  go  you  to  your  grandda  and  tell  him 
this  from  me:  If  there's  anything  that  belongs  to  him 
in  that  yacht  let  him  get  it  out  of  her  and  away  with  it 
before  we  come  on  shore  again.  Do  you  understand 
me  now  ?  " 

Mary  Kate  nodded,  grinning.  Meldon  joined  Mr. 
Willoughby  and  Father  Mulcrone  in  the  Granuaile's 
boat.  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  eyed  the  men  who  were 
standing  in  a  group  at  the  far  end  of  the  pier  and  then 
followed  Meldon. 

"  You're  right  to  come  with  us,"  said  Meldon.  "  Old 
Thomas  O'Flaherty  is  looking  uncommon  wicked,  and 
you  can't  altogether  blame  him.  He's  working  the 
rest  of  them  up.  I  don't  think  that  Inishgowlan  will 
be  exactly  a  safe  island  for  you  to  picnic  on,  Sir  Giles; 
not  for  a  few  weeks  anyhow." 

"  I'm  becoming  more  and  more  curious,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby.  "  I  want  a  key  to  the  mysteries  which 
surround  me.  I'm  a  little  anxious,  too.  If  ever  we 
get  back  to  civilisation  we  may  find  ourselves  in  a 
police-court.  Don't  mix  me  up  in  anything  criminal  if 
you  can  help  it,  Mr.  Meldon.  Consider  my  position  as 
Chief  Secretary." 

"  You're  pledged,"  said  Father  Mulcrone  with  a  grin, 
"  to  the  preservation  of  law  and  order  in  Ireland." 

"  It's  all  right,"  said  Meldon.     "  I'll  keep  your  name 


286  SPANISH  GOLD 

out  of  the  business  as  far  as  I  can.  Father  Mulcrone 
and  I  will  take  whatever  blame  there  is." 

"  I  won't  take  any  blame,"  said  the  priest.  "  I  know 
nothing  about  what's  going  on,  either  good  or  bad." 

"  You'll  have  to,"  said  Meldon,  "  whether  you  like  it 
or  not.  It's  your  parish,  so  of  course  you're  respon- 
sible if  anything  goes  wrong." 


I  COULD    do    with    a    wash,"    said    Meldon    when 
the  party  reached  the  Granuaile. 

"You  shall  have  it,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "You 
shall  have  my  bath." 

"Oh,  don't  bother  about  a  bath.  There's  no  use 
running  into  extremes.  I'm  a  moderate  man  in  every 
way,  politically  and  otherwise." 

"  Better  have  the  bath." 

"All  right,  then,  I  will.  But  if  I  do,  somebody'll 
have  to  go  over  to  the  Spindrift  and  get  me  another 
suit  of  clothes.  Father  Mulcrone,  perhaps  you  wouldn't 
mind " 

"I'll  send  a  boat,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "Father 
Mulcrone  wants  to  dress  like  the  rest  of  us." 

"  All  right,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  don't  care  who  goes. 
But  I  wouldn't  like  to  get  into  these  things  again  if 
once  I  took  them  off.  By  the  way,  have  you  any 
sticking-plaster  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  have  a  bit  in  my  dressing-case,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby. 

"  I'll  want  a  good  bit — yards  of  it,  I  expect.  I'm 
not  sure  till  I  get  my  clothes  off,  but  I  fancy  there  are 
very  few  parts  of  me  just  this  minute  with  the  skin 
on." 

287 


288  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I'll  send  you  what  I  have.  And  now,  Sir  Giles,  I 
must  get  a  dry  suit  of  clothes  for  you." 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  party  reassembled  for 
breakfast.  Mr.  Willoughby  made  another  appeal  for 
an  explanation  of  the  morning's  events. 

"  I  told  you  my  story,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  Sir  Giles 
contradicted  me  flat — not  that  I  mind  being  contra- 
dicted. I'm  accustomed  to  it.  But  I  think  it's  his 
turn  to  speak  now.  Anyway  I  want  to  eat  my  break- 
fast." 

Sir  Giles  was  not  eating  heartily,  but  he  seemed 
unwilling  to  speak. 

"You  hinted,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  to  Sir  Giles, 
"  that  the  account  which  Mr.  Meldon  gave  us  of  his 
actions  was — er — perhaps  exaggerated." 

" '  Damned  lies  '  was  his  expression,"  said  Meldon. 
"I  don't  know  if  that's  your  idea  of  a  hint  that  I 
exaggerated." 

"  You  appeared  to  think,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby, 
"  that  Mr.  Meldon  omitted  from  his  statement  some 
points  of  interest." 

Meldon,  whose  mouth  was  full,  got  into  difficulties 
in  suppressing  a  laugh.  Sir  Giles  stared  sulkily  at 
Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Come,  now,"  said  Father  Mulcrone,  "  let's  have 
your  story.  You'll  feel  easier  when  it's  off  your  mind." 

"  I'm  not  in  your  confessional,"  said  Sir  Giles,  "  and 
I'm  damned  if  I'll  speak  unless  I  choose." 

"Come,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "we 
needn't  any  of  us  lose  our  tempers.  I  think,  Sir  Giles, 
that  you  are  bound  either  to  substantiate  or  withdraw 
the  very  offensive  statement  that  you  made  on  the  pier 
this  morning.  You  called  Mr.  Meldon  a  liar." 


SPANISH  GOLD.  289 

"So  far  as  I'm  concerned,"  said  Meldon,  "I  don't 
mind  that  in  the  least  I'm  quite  accustomed  to  it. 
There's  hardly  a  man  on  this  island  who  hasn't  called 
me  a  liar.  I  quite  recognise  that  Sir  Giles's,  temper 
wasn't  altogether  under  control  when  he  spoke.  He 
has  a  hot  temper.  I've  had  to  speak  to  him  about  it 
before." 

"  I  suppose  that  you  think  it  good  fun,"  said  Sir 
Giles,  "  to  sit  there  bating  me  and  setting  that  cursed 
curate  on  to  sling  insults  at  me.  But  I've  stood  all 
I'm  going  to  stand  of  it.  I'll  stay  here  no  longer. 
Come,  Langton." 

The  whole  party,  with  the  exception  of  Meldon, 
stood  up. 

"  Don't  go  away  like  this,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  to 
Sir  Giles.  "  Sit  down  again  and  talk  things  over.  I 
am  sure  we  can  come  to  some  understanding  if  we 
can  only  find  out  what  all  this  trouble  is  about." 

"  Make  your  mind  easy,"  said  Meldon,  "  he  can't  go 
just  yet." 

"Can't  go!"  said  Sir  Giles  furiously.  "Why  not? 
Who's  going  to  stop  me?  So  far  as  I  know,  nobody 
has  a  warrant  out  for  my  arrest." 

"  You  can't  go  yet,"  said  Meldon,  "  because  you've 
got  on  the  Chief  Secretary's  Sunday  clothes." 

Father  Mulcrone  burst  into  a  loud  laugh. 

"That's  easily  remedied,"  said  Sir  Giles.  "I'll 
change." 

"Please  don't  worry  about  the  clothes,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby.  "You're  welcome  to  them.  I  wouldn't 
like  you  to  put  on  your  own  things  yet.  They  can't 
be  dry." 

"  Lend  him  your  pink  pyjamas,"  said  Meldon. 


290  SPANISH  GOLD: 

For  a  moment  it  seemed  likely  that  Sir  Giles 
would  make  a  violent  assault  on  Meldon.  His  hands 
twitched.  His  face  was  deeply  flushed.  But  he  re- 
strained himself  and  went  into  the  cabin  where  his 
own  clothes  lay. 

"  This  is  an  extraordinary  business,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby.  "  Surely,  Mr.  Meldon,  you'll  tell  me 
what  it  all  means." 

"  He  can't  go  far,"  said  Meldon.  "  I'm  prepared  to 
bet  my  best  hat  that  there's  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of 
the  Aureole  and  the  Major  won't  take  him  in  the 
Spindrift." 

"I  don't  like  it  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby  plain- 
tively. "  I  hate  being  kept  in  the  dark." 

He  took  Father  Mulcrone  aside  and  spoke  to  him. 

"  What  do  you  advise  ? "  he  said.  "  What  do  you 
think  of  all  this?" 

"  I  think,"  said  the  priest,  "  that  you  and  I  had 
better  go  ashore  with  Sir  Giles  and  the  other  man. 
I  expect  the  people  on  the  island  know  the  ins  and  outs 
of  the  whole  story  by  this  time,  and  I'll  be  able  to  get 
it  from  some  of  them.  There's  been  some  rough  work 
during  the  night.  You  saw  the  state  Mr.  Meldon  was" 
in  when  he  came  on  board.  I  expect  that  Sir  Giles, 
whoever  he  may  be,  has  been  up  to  some  mischief. 
I  don't  like  that  man." 

"  Still,  it's  an  awkward  affair.  It  seems  to  me  that 
we're  aiding  and  abetting  Mr.  Meldon  in  robbery  and 
something  like  an  attempt  at  murder.  He  threw  Sir 
Giles  into  the  sea,  you  know." 

"  I  expect  Mr.  Meldon's  all  right.  But  we  can't  say 
anything  till  we  get  on  shore  and  hear  the  whole 
story." 


SPANISH  GOLD  291 

Mr.  Willoughby  turned  to  Meldon. 

"Father  Mulcrone  and  I,"  he  said,  "have  decided 
to  go Dear  me,  he's  fast  asleep !  " 

Meldon  had  fallen  forward.  His  head  lay  among 
the  crumbs  beside  his  plate  on  the  breakfast-table. 
His  arms  sprawled  among  the  cups  and  dishes.  A 
half-smoked  cigar  burned  a  hole  in  the  tablecloth. 
Meldon  slumbered  profoundly. 

"  He's  done  up,"  said  Father  Mulcrone.  "  Let  the 
poor  fellow  have  his  sleep  out." 

"  We'll  make  him  more  comfortable  anyhow." 

Meldon  lay  like  a  log  while  they  lifted  him,  laid  him 
down,  and  put  a  cushion  under  his  head.  Sir  Giles 
Buckley  and  Langton  entered  the  cabin. 

"  Hush ! "  said  Father  Mulcrone,  pointing  to 
Meldon.  "  Don't  wake  him." 

Sir  Giles  spoke  in  a  tone  likely  to  waken  any 
sleeper. 

"  Let  me  have  a  boat  at  once.  I  demand  to  be  put 
on  shore." 

"Will  you  whisht?"  said  the  priest.  "Can't  you 
see  the  man's  asleep  ?  " 

"  I  warn  you  that  if  you  attempt  to  detain  me  I  shall 
take  an  action  against  you  for  illegal  imprisonment." 

"  Nobody  has  the  least  intention  of  detaining  you," 
said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "The  boat  which  brought  us 
on  board  is  still  alongside." 

He  led  the  way  on  deck,  and  the  four  men  got  into 
the  boat. 

"You're  not  bringing  the  curate  with  you,  then?" 
said  Sir  Giles. 

"  Mr.  Meldon,"  said  the  Chief  Secretary,  "  is  asleep, 
as  you  saw  for  yourselves." 


292  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  It's  a  good  job  he  doesn't  talk  in  his  sleep.  He 
never  stops  when  he's  awake." 

"  He  gave  you  credit  for  a  hot  temper,"  said  Father 
Mulcrone.  "  I  should  call  it  a  sulky  temper  if  I  was 
giving  my  opinion." 

Mr.  Willoughby  interfered  as  peacemaker.  The 
priest  did  not  like  Sir  Giles,  and  was  at  no  pains  to 
conceal  his  feelings.  Without  the  good  offices  of 
Mr.  Willoughby  Sir  Giles  might  easily  have  come  to 
dislike  Father  Mulcrone  as  heartily  as  he  did  Meldon. 


TWO  hours  later  Mr.  Willoughby  and  Father 
Mulcrone  returned  to  the  Granuaile.  The  Chief 
Secretary's  face  wore  an  expression  of  delight, 
tempered  by  anxiety.  Father  Mulcrone  was  jubilant 
and  triumphant.  They  descended  at  once  to  the 
cabin  where  Meldon  still  slept  on  the  sofa.  Father 
Mulcrone  shook  him  vigorously. 

"  Mr.  Meldon,  wake  up ;  wake  up  at  once." 

Meldon  opened  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  Chief  Secretary 
and  the  priest  standing  over  him. 

"  Hullo  1 "  he  said.  "  I  believe  I  must  have  had  a 
nap.  Breakfast  has  been  cleared  away,  I  see.  I  wonder 
what  they  did  with  my  cigar.  I  had  a  cigar,  I  know, 
and  I  don't  believe  I  finished  it" 

"Here's  the  box,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "take 
another." 

"Thanks,  I  will.  Where  are  Sir  Giles  and  Langton? 
They  were  here  at  breakfast,  weren't  they?" 

"  They're  on  shore,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Oh,  are  they  ?  They  haven't  gone  off  in  the 
Aureole  by  any  chance?" 

The  priest  smiled.    "  They  have  not,"  he  said. 

"  I  told  you  they  wouldn't — couldn't,  in  fact. 
Nobody  but  me  knows  how  rotten  that  boat  is 

293 


'294  SPANISH  GOLH 

and  what  a  little  bump  would  knock  a  hole  In 
her." 

"  We've  been  on  shore,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Have  you  ?  Pleasant  spot  that  island.  I  wonder 
more  people  don't  come  here  in  the  summer." 

"We  heard  the  whole  story,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby, 
"  and  we  both  want  to  congratulate  you  on  the  way 
you  behaved." 

"Now,  who  did  you  hear  it  from?" 

"Well,  partly  from  Thomas  O'Flaherty  and " 

"  I  didn't  think  the  old  boy  was  such  a  fool." 

"  And  partly,"  went  on  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  from  a 
little  girl." 

"  Mary  Kate  O'Flaherty,"  said  the  priest. 

"I  thought  better  of  Mary  Kate,"  said  Meldon. 
"  She  ought  to  have  had  a  keener  eye  to  her  own 
interest  than  to  tell  that  story.  I  suppose  you've 
grabbed  the  treasure  in  the  name  of  the  Government." 

"  He  has  not,  then,"  said  Father  Mulcrone  grinning. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  There  was  no 
treasure  to  grab.  At  least  we  couldn't  find  any.  To 
put  the  matter  plainly,  the  Aureole  has  been  looted." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Meldon.  "I  wouldn't  have 
liked  to  see  poor  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  robbed 
by  the  Gevernment  any  more  than  by  Sir  Giles.  But 
how  did  you  get  the  story?  As  far  as  I  know  Thomas 
O'Flaherty  he's  not  the  sort  of  man  to  talk  more  than 
he  need,  and  I  never  got  more  than  half  a  dozen  words 
and  a  grin  out  of  Mary  Kate  at  one  time." 

"  The  way  of  it  was  this,"  said  Father  Mulcrone. 
"  No  sooner  did  Sir  Giles  and  Langton  leave  us  to  go 
down  to  the  Aureole  than  all  the  children  on  the  island, 
seven  or  eight  of  them,  began  to  boo  at  them  and 


SPANISH  GOLD  295 

throw  stones.  Mary  Kate  O'Flaherty  was  at  the  head 
of  the  crowd." 

"  She  would,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  always  said  she 
was  a  high-spirited  little  thing  besides  being  intelligent. 
I  expect,  now,  she  hit  them  with  as  many  as  three  out 
of  every  four  stones  she  threw." 

"I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  the  priest  "Anyhow, 
Sir  Giles  lost  his  temper." 

"He's  always  doing  that  I  hope  he  didn't  hurt 
Mary  Kate  in  any  way  or  use  language  that  a  little 
girl  oughtn't  to  listen  to." 

"  The  language,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "  so  far  as 
I  could  hear  it — I  was  some  way  off — was  pretty  bad. 
But  he  didn't  do  the  children  any  bodily  harm." 

"  It  wasn't  for  want  of  wishing  to  if  he  didn't," 
said  the  priest.  "  He  looked  as  if  he'd  have  been 
glad  to  skin  the  lot  of  them  alive  and  pickle  them 
afterwards." 

"  They  ran  for  their  lives,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No,  then,  they  did  not.  But  the  fathers  and 
the  mothers  of  them  came  at  Sir  Giles  with  scythes 
and  pitchforks  and  hayrakes  and  all  sorts.  It  wa$ 
then  we  thought  we'd  better  interfere.  Well,  I'm 
not  a  coward  exactly.  You'll  give  me  credit  for 
that.  But  I  give  you  my  word  I  didn't  fancy  running 
into  that  crowd  at  all.  I  could  have  faced  the  men 

right  enough,  but  the  women !  Did  ever  you 

notice,  Mr.  Meldon,  that  a  woman  when  she  gets  her 
blood  up  is  twice  as  reckless  as  any  man?  She  doesn't 
care  who  she  hits  or  where  she  hits  him.  I  tell  you 
I  thought  twice  about  facing  the  women.  But 
the  Chief  Secretary  is  a  hero,  a  regular  hero." 

"It   was   nothing,"    said    Mr.    Willoughby   modestly. 


296  SPANISH  GOLD 

"I'm  accustomed  to  women.  A  Cabinet  Minister 
must  be  nowadays.  If  he  didn't  get  hardened  to 
it  he  would  be  dead  in  a  year." 

"  Anyway  you  went  for  them  like  an  hero,"  said 
Father  Mulcrone.  "  I  never  admired  a  man  more." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  Meldon  to  the  priest, 
"you  ought  to  let  him  off  those  seed  potatoes  as  a 
token  of  your  respect  and  esteem." 

"  I  will,"  said  the  priest.  "  I'll  do  that  I  wish  you'd 
seen  young  Mrs.  O'Flaherty  brandishing  a  flail  and 
looking  as  if  she'd  skelp  an  archbishop  if  he  came 
her  way." 

"  Had  she  Michael  Pat  with  her?  " 

"  She  had  not." 

"  Well,  if  nobody  was  left  at  home  to  mind  Michael 
Pat  I  expect  the  old  woman's  dead  by  now.  But 
that  can't  be  helped.  Go  on  with  the  story." 

"  We  got  them  quietened  down  after  a  bit,"  said 
Father  Mulcrone,  "and  then  Mr.  Willoughby  made 
them  a  short  speech." 

"  Was  it  Devolution,  land,  or  universities  ? "  asked 
Meldon. 

"  I  can't  for  the  moment  recollect  which  it  was,  but 
I  know  it  was  a  soothing  sort  of  speech,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby. 

"  I  expect  it  was  Devolution,  then,"  said  Meldon, 
"  not  that  it  matters,  of  course,  so  long  as  you  pacified 
the  people.  But  I'd  like  to  know  where  Higginbotham 
was  all  the  while.  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  he  slept 
through  a  battle  of  that  kind,  and  it  raging  in  front  of 
his  hall  door." 

"I  understand,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "that  the 
people  locked  Mr.  Higginbotham  into  his  hut  earlier  in 


SPANISH  GOLD  297 

the  day.  He  wasn't  able  to  do  anything  except  give 
us  good  advice  through  the  window." 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  Father  Mulcrone,  "  that  when 
they  started  to  pillage  your  yacht " 

"  I  expect  Thomas  O'Flaherty  Pat  was  in  the  thick 
of  that  work,"  said  Meldon. 

"  He  might,"  said  the  priest.  "  Anyhow,  when  they 
started  at  the  yacht — that  was  while  we  were  at 
breakfast  on  board  here — Mr.  Higginbotham  came 
out  of  his  hut  and  tried  to  stop  them.  Of  course 
they  weren't  going  to  put  up  with  any  interference 
from  him.  They  ran  him  back  into  the  hut  and 
locked  him  up." 

"They  didn't  hurt  him,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 
"  They  seem  rather  to  like  Higginbotham." 

"Are  you  sure  Mary  Kate  didn't  fling  a  stone  at 
him?"  said  Meldon. 

"  Not  that  I  heard  of." 

"  I  shouldn't  have  wondered  a  bit  if  she  had.  She 
had  a  grudge  against  him  on  account  of  a  misunder- 
standing about  some  sugar-candy,  and  she  might  have 
considered  it  a  good  opportunity  of  paying  him  out. 
However,  you  say  she  didn't,  so  I  suppose  that's  all 
right.  Go  on  with  the  story.  You  left  off  just  where 
you  had  made  a  soothing  speech." 

"After  that,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby,  "everybody 
began  to  talk  at  once.  I  imagine  that  most  of  them 
spoke  in  Irish.  I  couldn't  understand  a  word  anybody 
said.  Fortunately,  Father  Mulcrone  kept  his  head. 
He  got  old  O'Flaherty  away  from  the  crowd  and 
dragged  the  truth  out  of  him  somehow.  Then  he  took 
the  little  girl  and  got  the  rest  of  the  story  out  of  her. 
There's  just  one  thing  we  can't  any  of  us  understand, 


298  SPANISH  GOLD; 

and  that  is  how  you  managed  to  get  down  the  hill 
from  the  old  man's  house  to  the  place  where  the  child 
found  you." 

"  Oh,  that  was  simple  enough.     I  rolled." 

"Rolled!" 

"  Yes.  Rolled.  That's  the  reason  I  asked  you  for 
sticking-plaster  this  morning.  I  haven't  rolled  as  much 
for  years  and  years,  and  it's  a  kind  of  exercise  that  re- 
quires preliminary  training.  But  what  have  you  done 
with  Sir  Giles  and  Langton?  If  you've  left  them  un- 
protected on  the  island  Mary  Kate  will  have  at  them 
again  and  Michael  Pat's  mother  will  back  her  up. 
She  has  it  in  for  Sir  Giles  ever  since  the  day  he 
wouldn't  give  the  bottle  to  the  old  woman." 

"What  bottle?"  asked  Mr.  Willoughby.  "I  heard 
nothing  about  a  bottle.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  affair 
is  even  more  complicated  than  I  thought.  You 
alluded  casually  a  moment  ago  to  sugar-candy,  and 
now  you  speak  of  a  bottle." 

"  The  sugar-candy  and  the  bottle  are  side-issues. 
I  strongly  recommend  you  not  to  go  into  them  at  all. 
You'll  gain  nothing  by  it  if  you  do,  and  you'll  get 
yourself  confused.  But  you  haven't  told  me  what  you 
did  with  Sir  Giles." 

"  He's  quite  safe.  We  locked  him  and  Mr.  Langton 
into  Higginbotham's  hut.  It  was  Father  Mulcrone's 
suggestion." 

"  I  hope  you  let  Higginbotham  out  first." 

"  Oh,  yes.  We  let  him  out  In  fact,  we  left  him  on 
guard  outside  the  door." 

"And  did  O'Flaherty  get  his  treasure  back  safe?" 

"  I  didn't  get  any  very  definite  information  about 
the  treasure,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 


SPANISH  GOLD  299 

"If  you  ask  me,"  said  Father  Mulcrone,  "I  should 
say  that  every  man  on  the  island  has  his  own  whack 
of  that  treasure  by  this  time.  If  half  old  O'Flaherty 
says  is  true,  they  have  money  enough  among  them 
now  to  buy  out  the  island  without  asking  a  penny 
from  the  Board." 

"  Then  poor  Higginbotham  will  be  out  of  his  job. 
I'm  sorry  for  Higginbotham.  I  intended  to  give  him 
a  trifle  if  I  got  the  treasure,  to  make  up  for  not  taking 
him  entirely  into  my  confidence  at  the  start,  and  on 
account  of  the  tuberculosis  business." 

"  That,  I  suppose,  is  another  side-issue,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby,  "  and  perhaps  of  a  pragmatist  kind." 

"  It  is,"  said  Meldon  with  a  grin.  "  It's  both.  But 
I  think  you  might  stop  rubbing  that  pragmatist 
philosophy  into  me  now.  It's  not  my  philosophy, 
you  know,  any  more  than  it's  yours.  I'm  not  con- 
tinually throwing  it  in  your  teeth  that  you're  a 
politician,  although  you  are.  Why  can't  you  let  the 
dead  past  bury  its  dead?  It's  not  good  form  to  be 
for  ever  dragging  skeletons  out  of  cupboards.  I  see 
that  I've  forgotten  to  wind  up  my  watch  and  it's 
stopped.  Would  you  mind  telling  me  what  time 
it  is?" 

"  It's  half -past  twelve." 

"I  dare  say  you'll  be  lunching  early  to-day.  I  may 
as  well  stay  where  I  am  till  after  that.  Then  I'll  ask 
you  to  have  me  rowed  across  to  the  Spindrift.  The 
Major  will  be  getting  anxious  about  me  if  I  stay  away 
too  long.  In  fact,  I  expect  he's  rather  worried  now. 
I  wonder  if  you'd  mind  going  over  to  him,  Father 
Mulcrone,  and  reassuring  him  a  bit.  He'll  be  delighted 
to  see  you.  You'll  get  sardines  and  biscuits  for  lunch. 


300  SPANISH  GOLD 

He  hadn't  any  bread  when  I  left  him,  and  I  don't 
see  how  he  can  have  got  any  since." 

"  Take  a  loaf  with  you  if  you  go,"  said  Mr. 
Willoughby,  "  and  the  remains  of  the  ham  we  had  at 
breakfast" 

"  Are  you  sure  we  can  spare  the  ham  ? "  said 
Meldon.  "  It  was  a  very  good  ham." 

"  There's  another  on  board,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  Very  well,  then,  Father  Mulcrone,  take  the  loaf 
and  the  ham  and  give  them  to  him  with  the  Chief 
Secretary's  compliments.  That  will  reassure  him.  As 
you  will  be  spending  some  time  with  him,  you  may 
as  well  tell  him  the  whole  story.  It'll  give  you  some- 
thing to  talk  about  If  you  don't  tell  him  I  shall  have 
to,  and  I  hate  telling  stories  to  the  Major." 

"  Isn't  he  interested  in  stories  ?  "  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"  He's  too  interested,"  said  Meldon.  "  He  keeps  on 
asking  questions,  questions  about  details;  and  any  one 
who  has  ever  told  a  story  knows  that  the  details  won't 
always  bear  working  out  It's  awfully  good  of  you, 
Father  Mulcrone,  going  like  this  just  to  oblige  me. 
iYou're  sure  you  don't  mind  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  the  priest  "  I  shall  enjoy  telling 
the  story,  as  much  as  I  know  of  it." 

"You're  doing  a  kind  act,"  said  Meldon.  "The 
Major's  a  lonely  man  at  the  best  of  times,  and  he's 
been  shut  up  on  the  Spindrift  ever  since  the  Granuatte 
came  into  the  bay." 

"  Mr.  Meldon,"  said  the  Chief  Secretary  after  the 
priest  had  left  them,  "  I  should  like  to  say  that  I  think 
you  behaved  uncommonly " 

"  Oh,  don't  start  that,"  said  Meldon.  "  You  wouldn't 
expect  me  to  join  in  robbing  old  Thomas  O'Flaherty 


SPANISH  GOLD  301 

Pat,  would  you?  Besides,  if  I'd  wanted  to  itself  I 
couldn't  have  done  it.  They  didn't  give  me  a  chance. 
Sir  Giles  knocked  me  on  the  head  without  any  pre- 
liminary negotiations." 

"It  isn't  simply  about  last  night's  work  that  I 
Wanted  to  speak.  The  fact  is  that  I've  got  something 
rather  important  to  say  to  you,  and  I'm  very  glad  of 
this  opportunity  of  speaking  privately." 

"  Is  it  the  geological  survey  again  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  not  that." 

"  It  can't  be  the  tuberculosis  business,  or  the  national 
school.  Surely  to  goodness  old  O'Flaherty  hasn't 
raked  up  the  Athalonia  miserabilisf" 

"  It's  nothing  of  that  sort.  It's  something  quite 
different.  Just  before  I  left  Dublin  I  had  a  letter  from 
my  friend  Lord  Cumberley." 

"  I  don't  know  him,"  said  Meldon.  "  Is  he  an  Irish 
peer?" 

"  No.    He's  an  Englishman." 

"  That  wouldn't  prevent  his  being  an  Irish  peer." 

"  Do  listen  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  What  I 
have  to  say  is  really  rather  important,  and  I  can't  get 
on  with  it  if  you  keep  interrupting  me." 

"Go  ahead,"  said  Meldon.  "I  won't  open  my  lips 
till  you  give  me  leave." 

"  Lord  Cumberley  is  a  man  with  a  large  property  in 
Nottinghamshire  and  he  is  the  patron  of  several  livings 
there.  One  of  them  is  now  vacant,  and  he  writes  to 
me  to  know  if  I  can  recommend  a  man  to  him  whom 
he  might  nominate.  He  wants  an  Irishman  because! 
he  thinks  that  only  the  Irish  Church  now  produces 
genuine  evangelicals."  Mr.  Willoughby  paused. 

"Am  I  to  say  anything  yet?"  asked  Meldon. 


302  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  Perhaps  not  yet.  Let  me  tell  you  a  little  more. 
The  value  of  this  particular  living  has  been  largely 
increased  lately  by  the  opening  of  a  coal  mine.  It 
used  to  be  a  quiet  country  parish.  Now  it's  becoming 
a  small  town,  a  town  inhabited  by  colliers.  I  under- 
stand that  from  an  ecclesiastical  point  of  view  colliers 
are  not  pleasant  parishioners.  Lord  Cumberley  writes 
that  he  wants  an  energetic  man,  not  thin-skinned,  re- 
sourceful, determined,  and  capable  of  making  some 
impression  on  a  rather  rough  class  of  people.  From 
what  I've  seen  of  you  since  I  came  to  Inishgowlan  I 
think  you'd  suit  the  work  very  well.  By  the  way,  are 
you  married  ?  " 

"  Not  at  present,  but  I  have  a  little  girl — Gladys 
Muriel  is  her  name — who  is  engaged  to  be  married 
to  me.  I  have  her  photograph  in  my  coat  pocket. 
I'll  just  get  it.  Where  is  my  coat?" 

"Don't  trouble  to  get  it.  Lord  Cumberley  is 
anxious  to  get  a  married  man;  but  the  lady's  personal 
appearance  is  not  of  any  importance." 

"  It  is  to  me,"  said  Meldon,  "  and  I  think  you'd  like- 
to  see  the  photo." 

"  I  should.  But  not  just  now.  Would  you  mind 
telling  me,  are  you  an  evangelical  ?  " 

"  Now,  that,"  said  Meldon,  "  is  a  difficult  question. 
I  may  say  at  once  that  I'm  not  a  ritualist;  but  it 
doesn't  quite  follow  that  I'm  what  your  friend  would 
call  an  evangelical.  Some  time  ago  there  was  rather 
a  row  about  a  sermon  I  preached." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that  there  might  be.  In 
fact,  I'm  surprised  if  there's  only  been  one  row." 

"  A  dear  old  sheep  went  bleating  to  the  bishop " 

"  Had  you  been  preaching  in  its  field  ?  " 


SPANISH  GOLD:  303 

"I  was  speaking  figuratively,"  said  Meldon  severely. 
"  When  I  said  a  sheep  I  meant  an  elderly  country 
gentleman.  You  know  what  they  are,  Mr.  Willoughby. 
Excellent  old  fellows,  every  one  of  them,  with  a  kind 
of  Mrs.  Hemans'  way  of  looking  at  things." 

"  I've  come  across  them  at  times,"  said  Mr.  Wil- 
loughby. "  They  form  an  interesting  class.  But  why  do 
you  speak  of  them  as  sheep?  Is  it  the  prevailing  type 
of  countenance  which  suggests  the  comparison  ?  " 

"  Partly,  and  partly  their  habit  of  following  each 
other  through  gaps.  Also  they're  all  so  respectable, 
and  they  let  themselves  be  driven  in  flocks  by 
people  who.  bark  at  them.  But  I  needn't  go  on 
working  out  the  idea.  If  your  friend,  Lord  Cumber- 
ley,  is  the  kind  of  man  who  expects  a  parson  always 
to  say  precisely  the  usual  thing  he'd  better  not  get  me 
into  one  of  his  parishes." 

"  I  respect  your  wish  to  make  your  position  clear," 
said  Mr.  Willoughby.  "  How  did  the — the  bleat  to 
the  bishop  end?  " 

"  The  bishop  was  asked  to  excommunicate  me,  or 
haul  me  up  before  all  the  rest  of  the  bishops,  or 
something,  that's  all." 

"But  what  happened?" 

"  Nothing  happened.  Father  Mulcrone  may  say 
what  he  likes  about  bishops,  but  they  aren't  absolute 
fools." 

"  If  nothing  happened,  I  suppose  we  may  take  it 
that  the  incident  is  of  no  real  importance?  " 

"  Not  the  least  bit  in  the  world.  Only,  if  Lord 
Cumberley  happens,  as  I  said  before,  to  be  that  kind 
of  man,  there  might  be  unpleasantness— unpleasantness 
for  him,  I  mean.  I  shan't  mind." 


304  SPANISH  GOLD 

"  I  think  we  may  risk  it,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 
"  He  never  goes  near  the  parish  himself.  He  lives 
miles  away  and  detests  the  place." 

"  Goodbye,"  said  Meldon.  "  I  think  I  must  be 
getting  back  to  the  Spindrift  at  once." 

"  But  you  said  you  would  stay  for  luncheon." 

"  Can't  possibly.  If  we're  to  get  home  to-night  we 
must  start  at  once." 

"  But  need  you  get  home  to-night  ?  " 

"Of  course  I  must.  I  have  to  telegraph  to  my  little 
girl  to  tell  her  to  get  ready  to  be  married  at  once.  If 
Lord  Cumberley  insists  on  a  married  man  there's  no 
time  to  be  lost." 

"But  I'm  sure  Lord  Cumberley  wouldn't  wish  to 
hurry  Miss — Miss  Gladys  Muriel  in  any  way." 

"  Oh,  she  won't  mind.  She's  just  as  keen  on  getting 
married  as  I  am.  By  the  way,  now  that  the  Aureole's 
wrecked,  what's  going  to  happen  to  Sir  Giles  and 
Euseby  Langton?  You  can't  leave  them  here 
marooned  on  the  island.  It  would  be  rough  on 
Higginbotham." 

"  I  can't  well  take  them  in  the  Granuaile"  said  the 
Chief  Secretary.  "  I  wonder  if  Father  Mulcrone 
would  keep  them  on  Inishmore  till  I  send  off  a  hooker 
for  them  from  the  mainland  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  not.  They  wouldn't  get  on  with 
him  a  bit,  and  I  don't  think  he  likes  them.  If  you've 
no  other  plans  for  disposing  of  them  I'll  persuade 
Major  Kent  to  bring  them  back  in  the  Spindrift." 

"  But  won't  that  be  rather  unpleasant  for  you  and 
Major  Kent?" 

"  It  will.  But  I'd  put  up  with  more  than  that  to  do 
you  a  good  turn.  I  owe  it  to  you  on  account  of  the 


SPANISH  GOLD  305 

parish.  And  you  are  in  rather  a,  hole  about  those  two 
thieves,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  am,  though  I  confess  the  difficulty 
hadn't  occurred  to  me  till  you  suggested  it.  I'm 
greatly  obliged  to  you  for  helping  me  out." 

"  Don't  mention  it.  Apart  altogether  from  my 
feelings  of  gratitude  to  you  personally,  I  enjoy  helping 
people  out  of  difficulties.  If  ever  you  find  yourself  in 
any  kind  of  fix " 

"  I'm  never  out  of  a  fix,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby. 
"  The  position  of  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland  is  one 
which  involves  a  man  in  a  continual  series  of  fixes." 

"  Well,"  said  Meldon,  "  you've  nothing  to  do  when 
you're  stuck  but  wire  to  me.  I'll  go  to  you  at  once. 
But  I  haven't  time  to  go  into  any  more  of  your  diffi- 
culties just  now.  I  must  be  off  at  once." 

"  I'm  inclined  to  think,"  said  Mr.  Willoughby 
meditatively,  "that  you  ought  to  be  Chief  Secretary 
and  let  me  go  to  Lord  Cumberley's  parish.  You 
would  get  on  admirably." 

"I'm  sure  I  should.  But  how  would  you  suit  the 
parish?" 

"  I'm  afraid  I  should  be  a  failure." 

"That's  it.  We  can't  risk  that.  A  man  at  your 
time  of  life,  with  a  reputation  to  keep  up,  can't  run 
the  risk  of  coming  a  bad  cropper.  It  will  be  better  to 
leave  things  as  they  are.  You  stick  to  Ireland.  I'll 
go  and  hammer  the  fear  of  God  into  those  colliers." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

TWO  years  later  Major  Kent  took  another  cruise 
in  the  Spindrift,  this  time  with  a  hired  man 
to  assist  him  in  managing  the  boat.  He  anchored 
for  an  hour  in  the  bay  at  Inishgowlan,  and  then,  not 
feeling  inclined  to  go  ashore  alone,  sailed  on  to 
Inishmore.  He  found  Father  Mulcrone  in  the 
presbytery  and  invited  him  to  spend  the  evening 
in  the  cabin  of  the  Spindrift.  There  had  been  a 
change  of  government  some  months  before,  and 
Mr.  Willoughby  had  left  Ireland.  The  priest  lamented 
his  loss. 

"  The  new  man's  not  his  equal,"  he  said.  "  I  don't 
say  but  what  he  means  well.  Only  it's  my  belief  that 
he'll  never  understand  this  country.  I  met  him  when 
he  was  round  seeing  the  West.  I  told  him  the  way 
the  treasure  was  found  on  Inishgowlan,  and  what  do 
you  think  he  said  to  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  Major.  "  What  was  it?  " 
"  He  said,  *  That's  a  good  story,  Father  Mulcrone.' 
Now  that  was  as  much  as  to  tell  me  to  my  face  that 
the  story  wasn't  one  an  honest  man  would  take  his 
oath  to  in  a  court  of  justice.  There's  unbelief  for  you. 
A  fellow  that  starts  off  by  thinking  himself  clever 
enough  to  know  what's  true  and  what  isn't  will  do 

306 


SPANISH  GOLD  307 

no  good  in  Ireland.  A  simple-hearted,  innocent  kind 
of  a  man  has  a  better  chance." 

"  One  like  Higginbotham  ?  "  said  the  Major. 

"  I  hear  he's  high  up  now,  earning  a  good  salary. 
He  deserves  it.  How's  Mr.  Meldon  getting  along  with 
his  parish  ?  " 

"  I  was  over  there  last  summer,"  said  the  Major. 
"  I  was  standing  godfather  to  the  baby.  She  had 
another  godfather,  too,  which  is  unusual  with  a  girl. 
It  was  Mr.  Willoughby  stood  along  with  me." 

"  And  what  did  they  call  her  ?  " 

"  Cecily  May  was  the  name  the  mother  chose." 

"  But  what  about  the  parish  ?  I  heard  the  men  in 
it  were  a  rough  lot  and  disrespectful  to  their  clergy." 

"  They're  cured  of  that  now.  There  was  a  man 
there,  a  sort  of  leader  among  the  colliers,  who  set  up 
to  be  an  agnostic  or  something  of  that  kind,  and  was 
for  ever  talking  to  the  rest  of  them  about  the  folly  of 
believing  what  the  clergy  said." 

"A  fellow  like  that  would  turn  the  milk  with  his 
blasphemies.  I've  heard  of  such." 

"  Well,  the  Rev.  J.  J.  used  to  go  to  that  man's  house 
two  evenings  in  the  week  and  argue  with  him.  The 
rest  of  the  people  took  to  coming  to  listen  until  they 
had  to  move  into  the  schoolroom  to  accommodate 
the  congregation.  By  the  time  I  got  over  there  that 
agnostic  was  singing  in  the  choir  with  a  surplice  on 
him." 

"  He  was  convinced  in  the  end,  then?  " 

"  I'm  not  sure  that  he  was  convinced.  I  was  talking 
to  him  one  day  and  he  told  me,  privately,  that  he 
wasn't  any  more  persuaded  than  ever  he  was.  He 
said  he'd  lost  his  taste  for  arguing.  My  own  belief  is 


308  SPANISH  GOLD 

that  the  man  was  cowed,  and  that  if  J.  J.  had  wanted 
him  to  swear  publicly  to  the  truth  of  all  the  con- 
fessions of  faith  of  all  the  Churches  in  Christendom 
he'd  have  done  it  for  fear  of  having  to  argue  any  more. 
!And  he  wasn't  the  only  man  in  the  place  that  changed 
his  way  of  living.  There  was  more  than  one  that  gave 
up  beating  his  wife  on  account  of  the  amount  of  talk 
he  got  from  J.  J.  whenever  he  was  caught  at  it.  The 
very  worst  of  them  mended  their  language.  You'd 
see  a  man  looking  round  him  and  up  and  down  the 
road  before  he'd  venture  on  a  simple  'damn.'  I 
needn't  tell  you,  Father  Mulcrone,  that  the  necessity 
for  that  sort  of  precaution  takes  all  the  pleasure  out  of 
a  swear.  And  as  for  drink " 

"What  did  he  do  about  the  drink?  I've  had  my 
own  trouble  over  that.  Since  ever  the  people  of 
Inishgowlan  got  the  gold  out  of  the  yacht  I've  been 
administering  the  temperance  pledge  to  them  in 
batches  of  half  a  dozen  at  a  time,  and  often  to  the 
same  lot  twice  in  six  months.  I'd  like  to  hear  what 
'Mr.  Meldon  did  about  the  drink." 

"  I  don't  quite  know  how  he  did  it,"  said  the  Major, 
"  but  I'm  told  that  whenever  a  man  in  that  parish  feels 
that  he  must  have  a  burst  he  goes  off  somewhere  else 
and  doesn't  come  back  till  there  isn't  a  sign  left  on 
him  of  what  he's  been  doing.  And  even  so  he's 
generally  made  to  feel  sorry  for  himself." 

"  I'd  like  to  have  a  talk  with  Mr.  Meldon  about  the 
way  he  manages." 

"He's  coming  over  to  Dublin  next  Christmas,"  said 
the  Major,  "and  I  mean  to  get  him  down  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  me.  If  you'll  come,  too,  I'll  give  you  a 
room  in  my  house  with  pleasure.  J.  J.  is  going  to 


SPANISH  GOLD  309 

take  out  his  M.A.  degree.  He  thinks  it's  time  for  him 
to  be  wearing  a  blue  silk  hood  in  church.  I  had  a 
letter  from  him  just  before  I  left  home.  He  says  he's 
going  to  make  his  old  rabbit-skin  hood  into  a  cot  quilt 
for  Mary  Kate." 

"For  Mary  Kate,  is  it?" 

"That's  the  baby.  They  christened  her  Cecily  May 
to  please  the  mother,  but  I  never  heard  J.  J.  speak  of 
her  by  any  other  name  except  Mary  Kate." 


